“Hope,” “Change” and “Yes We Can,” are some of the key words all of us have heard in the last 21 months. Some believed them; others rejected them and then some really wanted to believe but were very skeptical.
These are words coming from newly elected President Barack Obama. I know some people right now are very upset with the way the elections turned out. Others are very pleased. I also think there is a third group who this election means more than just a new president to. We’ll just call this group 3. 3 do see Barack Obama as a new president but so much more.
Some of the people in 3 were happy last night because they saw something they never thought possible. Others were happy because they saw something they thought was possible but not likely. More of 3 are very grateful because they witnessed the evident success from an African American is the history of this great country.
This isn’t a question of ideology, this isn’t a question of whether you agree with President Obama’s stances or not. This is a GIGANTIC step in the way of the United States progressing in its ideals.
The 44th President of the United States of America is the first African American President. The country is in a very turbulent state right now. The state of the world is even bleaker. But this is an election that proved to me (a cynic) our nation is able to do great and wondrous things.
Mr. Obama is following 43 white rich guys into his next occupation that happens to be the most powerful position in the country if not the world.
George Washington was number one on the list of Presidents and if it weren’t for him and the supporters around him the United States probably wouldn’t exist. He did more during the time of the Revolution and for many years afterward to keep this country together than did anyone else. Before he was elected President and after the Revolution was complete, slavery was thriving in the United States.
Many founding fathers including George Washington were highly against slavery but during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia some of its participants would have never ratified the Articles of Confederation and put the Constitution into place while abolishing slavery. It then took 13 Presidents before there could be an amendment put into our Constitution to abolish Slavery.
When Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 to make the practice of slavery illegal in our country. It took a war, a strong leader and many people who knew the action of slavery was wrong to abolish its implementation.
Even though slavery was dead almost a century later the United States of America was feeling the burden of racism. The Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education put into law the desegregation of schools. This was a very big step in our country but hate was still raging for things people weren’t accustomed to.
So then came a man by the name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He defied the odds, he pushed for civil rights, he pushed for civil liberties and he was successful to points. Without MLK the USA as we know it would be completely different. He was a strong leader he was able to bring together blacks and whites in an attempt to change the country for good.
Since the assassination of Dr. King there have been many great people to expand the thinking of the United States. I would argue besides the Revolution from England, November 4, 2008 was the greatest day in United States History. It showed people across the country are capable of being accepting, understanding and are able to look outside of their own realm of comfort to promote the common good.
Now do I think racism is gone? No, I do not, I think racism is still a very big problem in our country but with record turn outs at the polls Barack Obama won. An African American won an election to make him President of the United States of America.
This is a very historic step we as a country just took. The biggest step in my lifetime and arguably in modern day. Now just like before with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, they couldn’t do it alone. They were the strong leaders but they needed their friends, families and supporters behind them.
We will never reach our potential as a country with just a great leader, or just a great and historic step. This is our chance to go forward with our country and reach that potential. You can’t do it by yourself; I can’t do it by myself. But the country just took a very, very large step forward, so while we have that momentum jump on and think outside yourself.
Don’t look at race, color, religion or culture. See only people, see potential, see that there is more around you that is good and can be transformed into great.
The country cannot succeed with just a President, or with only one man. For the country to succeed it needs to act as a “country.” There are many things around you that you have the ability to elevate. Smile, treat everyone as equals, volunteer, think outside yourself and what you’re comfortable with.
The state of the country and world is a daunting task to take on alone. But now you know it’s not just you. If all the “just me’s” joined, it would no longer be just you, you would be a part of “we” and we can make a difference. Recognizing this great and historic step, whether you agree with Barack Obama or not, seems extremely necessary.
