Monday, November 3, 2008

hope.

My mother, just one generation before me, lived in a world where there were different water fountains, different entrances, and very different opportunities for black folks and white folks. The N word was still part of regular conversation among most white people. Lynchings were very real. In addition to all of that, in the part of the country where I grew up, citizens of this country were kept from even registering to vote, much less voting or running for office.

Some of those things are still true. Oppression is still real. Racial prejudice and hate still exist. Children in America with brown skin are still treated differently than children with pale skin. We still have a long way to go.

But this morning I cried as I cast my vote for a man who, I believe, will lead our country to a good and healthy place...and who happens to have brown skin. It is a good day. My children will never live in a world where a black man cannot be President of the United States. It is a good, good day.