I am a member of a meetup group and the organizer sent out a message that I just had to respond to:

Obama
So our Commander in Chief has recently made his 100th day of his first term (wishful thinking) in office and the world is weighing in with their opinions. Therefore, I just want to take a moment and recap on a statement I made at the beginning of our first meetup. I’d like everyone that’s apart of CB to reflect on the feeling you felt when you first realized Obama would:
(1) Be a true competitor in the campaign race for the presidency and
(2) Receive the presidential candidate nominee from the DNC.

Also reflect on how you felt:
(1) the moment before voted and
(2) Standing in Grant Park before his win was announced (or watching it on TV).

I say this because for many of us, we truly did have the audacity to have a hope that our nation would to do right thing; the fair thing. A feeling that many of us haven’t had since childhood. Understandably many of us had become disengaged, disenfranchised, and quite cynical of our nation. Most had previously believed that a black man’s presidency would not happen in our lifetime or perhaps never would. I remember being at Grant Park after Obama’s announced win. My mom called and saidm “I didn’t think I’d live to see this,” through tears I told her, “I didn’t think I’d live to see this either.”

Can you believe that? Although I’m young and in my 20s, and it was the year of 2008, I could only imagine other countries having a black president but not my own. I didn’t believe it would happen until my grand children were adults. And even then I wasn’t sure…yet I still voted. Obama won because we had faith in the unseen. He won because we, as a community, were able to shake our fears and disbelief due to our nations history, and feel that not only are we deserving of an equal size slice of the American pie, but also deserving to take our place at the head of the table on which it sits. This reminds me of two quotes, “a fool knows you cant touch the stars, but a wise man never stops trying.” It’s a new day!

So now, we’ve lived to see a Black President. This man and his family have been anointed and appointed (can I get a witness?). I can hear the slaves, builders of the White House, saying “We built this just for you, we’ve been waiting. Welcome home.” I now happily display two flags in my home…a Pan-African flag and a US flag. For his first 100 days I say job well done. As always much prayer and patience for our new President and first family.

With that being said I hope everyone will continue to contribute what you can to make this group a good experience for all who join. Come out and volunteer! I can’t say it enough but it’s good for the mind, spirit, and soul…seriously. Our communities are only as great as we make it… “Be the change you want to see in life” – Ghandi.

**************  My Response*******************

Obama would:
(1) Be a true competitor in the campaign race for the presidency

I have to admit I went through the entire election in a daze.  I could not quite believe it was happening and now looking back, I kick myself for not being 100% engaged.  There was so much more I could have done to help with the campaign, but I refused to let myself get my hopes up too high.  I feared for his life and the life of his family and after having lost my own mother, I didn’t think I could take the heart break of us losing another great leader.  I have since let go of that concern (not for his life, but wanted to hold back my enthusiasm and participation out of fear of loss) and in action to be the change I want to see in the world!

(2) Receive the presidential candidate nominee from the DNC.

Disbelief and exuberance all in one.  Watching him on stage accepting the nomination was surreal and I feel truly blessed to be alive right now!

Also reflect on how you felt:
(1) the moment before voted

I was bursting with excitement, tinged with a fear of conspiracy.  After to shady elections I was so afraid that something would be concocted to keep him out of office that I urged everyone I know to vote so that the numbers would be too huge to doctor!  I still almost didn’t believe that I was actually casting a ballot to elect not only a black man, BUT a politician with INTEGRITY and real values that I agreed with.

(2) Standing in Grant Park before his win was announced (or watching it on TV).

I had a ticket to Grant Park and was on one hand sad that none of my friends in the Chi took me up on my offer to go down there, I was a little afraid to go by myself as I rarely took public transportation at the time and didn’t know how I was going to manage being in such a large crowd alone if something did go down.  Finally I was determined.  NOTHING was going to keep me from being there!  I was still standing outside of the park waiting to get in when they called and recall shouting, screaming and dancing around in glee.  I have some pictures and video on my phone from that night and am thankful to have had the opportunity to be in the midst of it all.  I am so happy I did not let my fear or my friends cynicism keep me from going downtown that night I would be regretting it now if I did.