America is a great country. As I sit on pins and needles waiting for this long election to end, I watch the election seeing its' diverse actions/sides, bitter and sweet and it's time for me to express how I feel about the election as an African American before November 4th to lend more credibility to my deepest feelings.
Being African American in this country has not always been easy or fair for me. My experiences in the American workplace have not garnered me stability or success no matter how hard I tried. Having filed my share of Racial Discrimination cases with the EEOC and DEFH; I lived in a cloud of ambiguity thinking this world would never change. The more I knew about disenfranchisement, the more I had to fight, wondering if the idealism of Dr. Martin Luther King and others would ever happen. Simply put - I wanted to see with my own eyes that we could embrace individuals for their tangible contributions to the world without judging them for the color of their skin or age. Even though Barack had some hoops to jump through as did McCain; to me the verdict is in. At age 53 years old my heart is heavy with pride. Not so much just for Barack Obama; but, for some answers to what I have suffered personally in this world. As tears flow from my eyes, regardless of the outcome of this race - I am proud of America and I am ever so happy that America is capable of change. I have wanted to say those words (Proud of America) and mean them for so many years; I couldn't; today I can. They were words I thought I'd never say. I watched John McCain and I was proud of him too this morning. He tried feverishly this morning to hold back a cough; my heart goes out to him. I am proud of him for going the distance at his age and for the contributions he made to this country. For people all over the world and African Americans and aged Americans who have only dreamed of such a day - what we are seeing in this election took team effort garnered off of the backs of those who are now resting in their graves. As history is made before my very eyes today, here is thanking both candidates. Now the words One Nation Under God and America The Beautiful - finally has meaning to me.
