CONGRATS PRESIDENT~ELECT OBAMA, FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA AND OUR NEW FIRST PRINCESSES, MALIA AND SASCHA OBAMA on being the FIRST African American family in the history of this country to lead this country from the highest office in the land!
By now, we all know that Senator Barak Obama is now known as President-Elect Obama! History....WOW....what a tremendous moment for this country. Yes, African Americans have an identifyably deeper reason for this time to be as special as it is. BUT it IS a milestone for this country as a whole.
DREAM REALIZED is a phrase that has come to the forefront of the minds and tongues of people all over the GLOBE, not just here in the United States. Images of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have flooded the visual airways again....portions from his historic "I Have A Dream" speech have begun to flood auditory mediums and flow off of the tongues of many that you otherwise never would have known to have stored in their mental capacity any of the words. On that historic night (11/4/08) I heard young and old men and women pointing to heaven and yelling "We got you Martin!"
I look back on the morning that I arrived at my polling place. Five am in the morning, the line was already about an hour long and we had two hours until the polls even opened. I saw senior citizens with their chairs and bundled up in their coats and covered with blankets. I saw men helping women and women helping other women helping younger women who had come to vote with the children that they had to bring with them. I saw blacks helping whites the abled helping the disabled, I saw that language was not a barrier to friendship and age was no barrier to support....I saw that LOVE really can be universal and the we as a people CAN obliviate "n***er" type behaviors and mentalities from existance. As I look back, I recall having the very distinct feeling of pride in my people and for the most part, in people as a whole. The unity, determination and support that was shown on this past election day is such that rivals the days of the civil rights movement.
BUT (of course there is a 'but'.....lol), here is the REAL challenge...now, we have gotten our candidate into the White House and we have gotten to the day that our people proved that we are able to rise above any stereotypes and century old stigmatisms...for one day...for one cause. What happens now? What happens when the glitz and excitement of having elected the first minority President in our country's history? Do we as a people have what it takes to maximize on that hope, on that strength and drive that was displayed all over this great country of ours on election day? I think that we do! The communal leaders of this country have a remarkable opportunity here. The chance to lead the charge at restoring levels of pride in our communities and in ourselves that seems to have been lost...in a dream that seemingly had faded. Not only is there a remarkable opportunity but an extraordinary responsibility to rise to the call of excellence, the call of simply rising above..of taking the action of the Pheonix and rise out of the ashes of communal and individual loathing that had plagued us as a people over the past 40 immediate years. We have the opportunity here to say YES WE CAN...not just to a President, but to a mother, a father, a husband and/or wife, a son, a daughter, a friend, an enemy....the person that we see everyday when we step in front of our mirror.
Now, we are able to say YES WE DID! The new call is will we be able to say YES WE DID to our families, communities and individual dreams one, two or three years from now.....??
We have made the DREAM true, NOW, we must make sure that our more intimate dreams do NOT become Dreams Deferred......
9 comments:
You hit a bulleye with this post Dr.! On November 4th at about 11pm I felt like I could do ANYTHING. My heart was full and all I could do is thank God for the blessing of allowing me and my family to live to see that historic day and restoring my faith in dreaming big!
Nina Lazenbury
"missrenewed07"
Check it outand be blessed!
http://withlovefromnina.blogspot.com
Dr. Blackmon I share your thoughts about this historical moment in history. There are no words to express my feelings as I witnessed the dawning of a new era in the United States, and the world. It was a beautiful thing to see a first family that looked like me! Now, it is time to work to help bring President_Elect Obama's vision for the United States to fruition.
Your profound thoughts articulate the reality of our newfound joy. I am still speechless and never imagined this day would ever come. We as a nation must be prepared to put in work and take advantage of this opportunity and the phenomenal newly elected president God has blessed us with.
7 hours in line and I wouldn't change a thing. I am soooo happy and elated. Never in my lifetime did I expect to see this. Congrats and love to the Obama fam!
Dr. Blackmon, keep on keeping it alive!
I will always remember that I was number 118 on Election Day when I cast my ballot. This was a great post/blog!
This will let us know that we can do all things through Christ, prayer and supplication.
Mekco
I too waited in line with my mother to cast my vote and be sure that she cast hers. I agree with your sentiments totally, but a more important point to remember now is that President Obama needs our support for hime to be success. We need to remain fully engaged in the political process and watch the congressional calendars and bills that are coming to the floor. We need to pressure our congressmen and senators to support the legislative agenda of President Obama. We can not afford to be idle watchers from the sideline. This is an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime, so we need to make the most of it. I encourage eveyone to know who is representing them in DC andbecome very "friendly" with their legislative aids and staff workers.
I am going to sit on this soap box for the next 4 years!! LOL
-Mel
Dr. Blackmon,
Words can not express my thoughts and feelings about the historical occasion that took place on November 4th. I remember earlier that day my three year old son, Elijah and I were out getting something to eat, and I explained to him why this election was so important. Even though I knew his understanding was limited due to his age, it was a very emotion moment for me to even be able to say that we may have an African American man as president. When they announced on the news that Senator, now President Elect Obama won, I was so proud to be an American and I was very proud of my country. To see not only our country but the world celebrate this new change was very overwhelming.
Be Blessed,
Carrie
When I saw that our next president is Barack Obama I kind of had an out of body experience. I immediately started to pray. This is a big step in history and Im glad that I could be a part of that. On 4 Nov 08 I felt like I could do anything I put my mind to. To see our First lady share the same qualities as me it is breath taking. We have come along as a people and I knew with Obama in office a change was going to come. Thank you Dr. Blackmon for this blog.
A Dream Deferred. I love that poem.
Anyways, as a first time voter, I can't describe the excitement that I had when I voted. It was liberating yet humbling. I've read so much about my history as an African American and I've always wondered if I'd ever have the opportunity to participate in something that could change the world like the work that our ancesters did in the civil rights and abolition movement. I truly felt that I was given a small piece of what it must have been like.
CNN's Roland Martin came and spoke to the students at my college and something he said really hit a cord in me. He said, "During Barack Obama's victory speech, he said the word 'WE' over 40 times. Most people think he was just talking but he did that deliberately. You see, right now as Barack Obama goes through his transitioning period and gets ready for the work he'll begin in January, we should be going through that same transitioning and planning period. We should also be strategizing at how we can solve some of our community's problems. How we can better ourselves. Also, once January 20th comes and Barack takes his Oath, we, too, should be taking our own."
The quote that rings in my mind now is "Be the change that you wish to see".
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