Like many Americans I stayed up very late, or rather very early, to watch President-elect Barack Obama deliver his victory speech.
I was literally moved to tears when NBC announced that Obama had won the election. Granted, I was slightly sauced, as I had been out at an Election Day party earlier in the evening. Regardless, it was very moving to witness something so momentous.
I vividly remember the presidential portraits lined up along the top of the chalkboard in my 11th-grade history classroom; all men, all white, most of them older.
To be alive to witness the inauguration of the first black president in U.S. history is something that I honestly didn’t expect to see in my lifetime.
As a young person, I am embarrassed to admit that I had such little faith in my fellow Americans. But when you consider that the Civil Rights Movement ended only 40 years ago, to elect a black president is colossal, not just for blacks but for anyone who was alive when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, when President Kennedy was assassinated, when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated.
When you think about all of the hate, racism and prejudice that existed in America, 40 years is hardly in the past.
When Obama mentioned 106-year-old Ann Nixon Cooper is his victory address, I was shocked.
It’s hard to fathom that there are still Americans who were born before women had the right to vote, before African Americans had the right to vote.
We aren’t talking a million years B.C. We are talking about a woman who knew Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was only a boy. If I am crying on my sofa at 3 a.m., I can’t imagine what a tremendous landmark the inauguration will mark for the rising number of U.S. centenarians.
Forgive me if I wax bitter for a moment, but the history of my lifetime has been pretty bleak; terrorist attacks like Oklahoma City and 9/11, the death of Princess Diana, and the tragedies of Columbine High School and Virginia Tech.
Historic events usually represent some of the most painful, dark and embarrassing moments in U.S. history.
I’m just really proud to be alive to witness something positive and I hope that as president, Obama will live up to his reputation.
Estabrook’s column appears Monday and she can be reached at estabrookcarole@yahoo.com
I vividly remember the presidential portraits lined up along the top of the chalkboard in my 11th-grade history classroom; all men, all white, most of them older.
To be alive to witness the inauguration of the first black president in U.S. history is something that I honestly didn’t expect to see in my lifetime.
As a young person, I am embarrassed to admit that I had such little faith in my fellow Americans. But when you consider that the Civil Rights Movement ended only 40 years ago, to elect a black president is colossal, not just for blacks but for anyone who was alive when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, when President Kennedy was assassinated, when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated.
When you think about all of the hate, racism and prejudice that existed in America, 40 years is hardly in the past.
When Obama mentioned 106-year-old Ann Nixon Cooper is his victory address, I was shocked.
It’s hard to fathom that there are still Americans who were born before women had the right to vote, before African Americans had the right to vote.
We aren’t talking a million years B.C. We are talking about a woman who knew Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was only a boy. If I am crying on my sofa at 3 a.m., I can’t imagine what a tremendous landmark the inauguration will mark for the rising number of U.S. centenarians.
Forgive me if I wax bitter for a moment, but the history of my lifetime has been pretty bleak; terrorist attacks like Oklahoma City and 9/11, the death of Princess Diana, and the tragedies of Columbine High School and Virginia Tech.
Historic events usually represent some of the most painful, dark and embarrassing moments in U.S. history.
I’m just really proud to be alive to witness something positive and I hope that as president, Obama will live up to his reputation.
Estabrook’s column appears Monday and she can be reached at estabrookcarole@yahoo.com
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karl again... wrote on Nov 12, 2008 10:50 PM:
I was there with ya at 3:00 AM! "