Monthly Archives: November 2008

One of the cool things about participating in social media is that you can find lots of cool resources from the friends that you make online. I’ve been using utterli.com, a social media/networking site that’s sort of like twitter, but with audio. Through that site I met the fabulous domesticdiva, who uses viddler.com to do a vlog, or video blog. I signed up and posted my first video there. It’s about Thanksgiving being my favorite holiday. Please enjoy and have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Langston Hughes

In all of the excitment and history of the day I was reminded of a poem by Langston Hughes, one of my favorite poets, called, I, Too. This poem very succinctly captures the mood of this historic moment for Black people in America.
I, Too

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.

Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed–

I, too, am America.

Langston Hughes

I remember one day when I was in second grade. I was working on  an essay for Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday at my school. I approached my grandfather to ask him for his input. I will never forget his response. He looked downcast and sighed deeply and said, “We have not yet overcome. Not much has changed in this country from the time Dr. King made his famous speech.” I was just a little girl who was shielded from the pain and shame that my grandfather and those of his generation had suffered simply because they were Black in America. I remember well the shame I felt as the only Black child in my classes at a private, Catholic school when we discussed historic events such slavery. It has also been challenging as an adult to explain those events to my daughters.

But now we indeed have something to be proud of. Now I can confidently say to my daughters that we do have hope in America. We as a people have grown up a little bit and we are, step by step beginning to live out the true meaning of our creed, as Dr. King reminded us of the words of our founding fathers that, “. . .all men are created equal.” Grandpa Joe suffers from dementia, so I don’t think he truely understands what has occurred today.

As Barack so eloquently spoke, we are no longer red or blue, but we are Americans. On this day I am proud beyond words to be an American.

Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can! If I had not been sick with a terrible cold and fever last night, that is what I would have been chanting in the streets with my fellow Obama supporters in DC. Spontaneous celebrations broke out all over town with people pouring out into the streets to celebrate Obama’s historic victory. I fell asleep last night watching the returns, and when I awakened, I was almost a little bit afraid to turn on the TV and find out the verdict. I had confidence in my boy, but there was still that nagging possibility that McCain could have come from behind.

So, my fifth grader, who was busily coloring in her red and blue electoral map last night for homework, was thrilled to hear the good news when I woke her up. “I knew he was going to win.” she said very confidently. She never had a shred of doubt in Barack’s ability to clinch this victory.

This morning I am thrilled and pleased and proud that we have overcome so much in this country and elected our first Black president. I will be so proud to have them as our first family. Michelle is such an elegant woman and their girls are just adorable.

We have made history here and it will be awhile before I will lose the silly grin on my face today.

I voted! I stood in line for a little over an hour and then when I got into the actual polling place I waited another few minutes to get my ballot & vote. It was very organized and everyone was orderly, but there was an air of excitement and anticipation tangible in the atmosphere. Having worked on political campaigns in the past where there was minimal and lackluster voter participation, this was truly exciting to see. I live in a majority Black neighborhood, and so as I stood in line waiting for my ballot, I looked around the room and realized that everyone was Black–from the election officials down to the last voter. I grew up in the north east where I was almost always the only Black person in the room, in my class, in my workplace, but to stand there in my local polling place waiting to cast my ballot for the first (real) Black president of the United States was an amazing feeling.

My ten-year-old wants my “I voted” sticker so that she can share it in class tomorrow at school. For today I’ll wear it proudly and wait on the edge of my seat for the results this evening. So, for now all I can say is if you have not yet voted, what the heck are you waiting for?

Is anyone else as excited as I am about election day tomorrow? I am so excited about the prospect of Barack Obama winning the Presidency of the United States. I will keep him and his family in my prayers as they mourn the death of his beloved grandmother. How tragic for him that neither his mother nor his grandmother lived to see the outcome of this historic race.

So, I will be beaming with pride as I proudly take my place in line tomorrow at my polling place and cast my vote. I may take a page from Gayle King’s playbook and snap a picture with my cellie from the voting booth. Geeky, yes, I know.

Anyway, I’m giddy with excitement, and I’ll see ya’ll bright and early in the morning at the polls.

Barack the Vote!!!

Given the fact that today is the first day of November, the month in which we celebrate Thanksgiving, I have been thinking a lot lately about gratitude. Lately it seems that the world’s descent towards hell in a hand-basket has been at a more break-neck speed. But with all of the swirling chaos around me, I still feel incredibly blessed. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I know where my sanity, my safety, and my salvation come from and that has not changed nor will it ever change. I am confident that the way things are is the way things are supposed to be. I know that God holds my future and that He has a broad view of everything, while I can only see what’s immediately in front of me at this moment. I must move forward and trust that He will guide me and keep me safe. And I must express my gratitude for all that He has given me.

Thank you might be two of the most powerful words that we can speak–maybe aside from the words, I’m sorry. So, even when times seem difficult, and we can’t see how things will work out, we can say thank you for what we have already in our hands. We can say thank you for our next breath. We can say thank you to the one whose hands prepared the meal we just enjoyed, and we can say thank you to those who labor on our bahalf to defend the freedom we so casually enjoy and take for granted.

My goal this month is to find a way to outwardly express my gratitude and to give back in an effort to ‘pay forward’ some of the blessing that have been bestowed in my life. Everything moves in cycles. Sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug, as they say. So, I will find a way to use my talent and my energy to do something to benefit others because I believe that loves to use people to bless other people. My desire is to be a blessing–to offer the use of my hands to do what I can where I can. This is how I will express my gratitude.

I challenge everyone reading this to find ways that they can express their gratitude. If you are reading this that means that you are alive and well thereby giving you much to be thankful for. Pass the blessings along.