A Senior Moment at the Polls

How many of you already are feeling the excitement of what this election has wrought? You should be proud of the multitude of folk who put aside everything and voted! The goose bumps appear every time I think about the audacity rendered for change.  Change and Hope have somehow become partners in anticipated anxiety. I think about the elderly, the physically challenged and people who may have voted for the very first time. There's stories to tell by all of the aforementioned. Especially from those with hallowed remembrance of yesteryear when Jim Crow ruled, ranted and renounced rights. Then came our senior citizens looking for reprieve and second chances. One such lady shared  her opinionated thoughts with me as I cast my vote. I'll call her Miss Ida.

I spotted her as I ambled toward the long line snaking around the building. Looking at me as if daring me to ask why she was in such a long line, I saw an unmistakable look of determination and thought better of mere casual conversation. I decided to wait until there was a favorable time to engage her in conversation. Miss Ida was one for the numbers! She was decked and dressed to the nines, with a conservative but natty two-piece suit with matching purse and shoes!  She leaned on the cane that defied the weight that gingerly held her up with a distinct aura. She continued to stare which made me uncomfortable to say the least, but out of the corner of my eyes I saw that she was chomping at the bit with something to say.  I decided to oblige her and break the steely ice between us. I asked two questions that morphed into one querying sentence - "Ma'am do you really think Obama will win; and, will white folk vote for him?

She hesitated much more than a pregnant minute, looked up at me with shining eyes, all the while pausing with dramatic effect as if the delay warranted my immediate attention, and said slowly and deliberately, "Son...not only will he win, but they have no choice but to vote for this man! They are 'tween a solid rock and a good hard place now that the Bushes they thought protected them have been exposed!"  She paused to catch her  breath, and ambled on, "Not only that, it's high time that the balancing act comes full circle". I implored as to what did she mean by that, and she was off to the races again. She shifted her weight, sighed and gave me a pitiful look as if admonishing a child for knowing something that should be etched in stone, and asserted, "they owe us, do you hear me? They OWE us! We have taken and nurtured their children, cleaned up after them, sat around passively throughout history and allowed them to define who we should be in their eyes. They have raped us as long as I can remember, stealing our inventions while using calculated divide and conquer techniques to keep us separated and adrift from our rich historical legacy".

At that moment my body longed to get this over with. I needed to vote, but Miss Ida commanded my attention as I began to see her in a different light. This erudite octogenarian-type woman brimming in rich-text format held me rooted to the spot. I imagined her back in the day formidable in her bearing and quite imposing like some of the women I've known, that not only talked a good game, but ruled with authoritarian grit. That was my 'Big Mama', who assisted the village with glee while raising me to uphold standards and think positively. This is all the reason why I felt bad for slipping, and for a moment forgetting all that she stood for by asking Miss Ida, 'do I think Obama could win'. My silence must have unnerved her as she hit me in the shin with her cane and demanded that I give a comment. What could I say to this lady? I knew I had to say something, and it had better be of worth and a gem of an answer. I muttered rather clumsily that, "yes, it'll be a history-making time, alright."  She looked at me askance, not pleased at all with my comment, and voiced more venom against the imbalance of racism during her hey-day.  

"Son, careless whispers have gotten louder and white folk are wringing their hands in dismay knowing that Bush is through. They can't vote for McCain, and now they have to cast a vote for a Black man. I 'spect though, that a lot of them will go to their grave 'fore they vote for one of us."  At that moment she burst out in a raucous laugh so hard almost losing her footing. She jabbed her cane forcefully on the sidewalk and yelled, "Hell no, I ain't voting for no McCain!" By this time a crowd gathered along with those still in line as she looked at me with a jaundiced eye continued, "Yeah, son we done come a long way and they owe us. It's our time, you know. We helped build this country with the forced and unforced labor...they steal our music, claim it for themselves and embrace our culture as if it was their own. I won't even talk about the many contributions we've made to society that our ancestors fought so hard to keep. Louis Latimer and a host of others are turning in their graves with glee knowing the real truth that Elijah McCoy spoke of. Yesiree!! You can bet your bottom dollar and every penny you find that this is one man of color that will defy all the odds, Honey!  Who else they gonna vote for?"

Dismissing me with a smirk and a firm grip on that cane, she gave a parting shot by saying, "Yep, we GOT this, believe that...we're on the threshold of history!"  Watching her walk toward the voting booth I felt the pride and knew that pomp and circumstance had finally given a real meaning to what is at hand and how it will effect us as a race. But there was more on my mind. Will this presidency have reverberating windfalls in areas that we cannot see or even fathom? I worry will they steal the election from us like they did in Florida, and whether we will actually get out and vote en masse? I earlier surveyed the crowd that attended one of the many local rallies, and my immediate perception gave reason that perhaps this time around the last will be first and the first will now bring up the rear. Miss Ida was live, in color and spoke for all senior citizens at the polls, and I respectfully saluted her. WOW!

It's A Done Deal - By Divine Order!

Let me share this with you, but you will need your bibles to fully fathom the gist of this essay. I imagine our ancestors are doing a jig watching what has unfolded in this past presidential election. They rejoice knowing that the day has finally come where there's a chance for change, and that a Black man is orchestrating it! I volunteered my services and campaigned for a man that stood head and shoulders above his opponents. Remarkably, he defied biased agendas and didn't allow race to color his canvas. I watched all of the debates, looked on with chagrin hearing people voice sentiments of not wanting to vote for him because of his color, or looking on in dismay as they attached his religious affiliation. I even watched with a heavy heart as they found conceivable ways to besmirch his character.

I honestly feel that God had a lot to say about the state of affairs that made up this remarkable happening.  I hasten to say that it had already been ordained biblically, and the spirituality of it should not be ignored. The Divine order depicting that "the last shall be first and the first shall be last" in my opinion is relative to us as a people of destiny finally being favored to improve our lot, and Barack is the standard bearer and icon for it at this point. Of course, we the people are not exempt from doing our part. As such, we should adamantly and unapologetically take advantage of the significance of what has been achieved.  Needless to say, Obama will need help, and what a magnificent time to step up to the plate. Moreover, I will paraphrase a bit of that biblical content thereof to illustrate my point in two scriptures that God identifies and implicates His visionary.

Go if you will to the book of Hebrews 11:32-34 as it hails (Barak) a man of faith: "Barak, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength and who became powerful in battle routing foreign nations".  Reading through the lines and interpreting from a broader perspective, one could easily assess this to our present situation with what has transpired with Obama.

But wait!  Now go to Judges 4:6 - God through Deborah commands Barak to "Go lead the way"...isn't this what he is doing present-day? Better yet, the aforementioned passages in Hebrews gives us an insightful view of the type of man Barack Obama seems to be, as God has plans for such a man. This too me is AWESOME, and self-explanatory!  There's no way in the world to not convince me that this man wont be successful. His disposition and penchant for orderliness amid the earmarks of a born leader is evident. And he's smart! If indeed you think as I do you'd know that this is our time. It's a chance to purpose in your hearts what needs to be done individually and collectively to insure success. The threshold has been crossed. We must do our part to ensure that this is a total effort where all of us can band together as one -- both nations Black and white fulfilling what God has already revealed. Only then will the audacity for hope, and the fulcrums of change can manifest destiny. It's a done deal in this case because the time is NOW!

Is the New President-Elect Allowed to Sleep?

Wanna know who won the presidential election? Okay, bear with me as I give you this opportunity to be clairvoyant. My crystal ball is clear. What you see in this picture is a man who prevailed and gave his country a chance for change -- something we could believe in. Yes, he earned it fair and square! President Barack Obama has run a brilliant and well-oiled campaign to gain the highest office in the world. He survived the overt head of racism as it rose time and time again; he withstood ridicule at the hands of conservatives, including a nasty in-family arrogance at the hands of the Clintons who surely thought they had the Black vote in their pockets; he overcame attacks on who, where, and why of pastoral pangs with the Jeremiah Wright malaise; then came the cartoonish Senator (McCain) and his pallid running mate Pallen. Suffice it to say, and contrary to the ills that has seemingly transformed the global pecking order, the president of the United States still resonates with significance. Who then, is this man so determined, so dominate and ever so determined? Was he indeed the best man for this office? You becha! Coming on slowly but steadily, he built his resume and applied sophomoric efforts that required perseverance and patience. This, despite the fact that life in Congress was not picnic, nor was it paved with with gold, like some yellow brick road. Yet he trudged on with an agenda. Here was a man undeterred and wasn't denied using tried and true measures that he embraced.  He survived up to this point by employing a work ethic that transcends moralistic value coupled with applications to change status quo.

To say that America need Barack Obama would truly be an understatement, but there's no understated pessimism that tints this man with much color and charisma. America is at its crossroads, and this country was faced with the most critical election in its history. Yes, our country is in a pickle, but with a chance to come out Kosher, even. George W. Bush is a farce and should have been impeached. Liar extraordinaire with a penchant for being a rhetorical wreck, the weapons of mass destruction are now aimed at the Republican party and poised to allow the American people why chance is inevitable.  We are reeling, and from where I sit in my community the change of the guard will reverberate with new optimism. The Iraqui war, the collapse of our financial system, a revamping of our educational system, millions of people without health insurance, and with serious attention needed to be paid to our industrial infrastructure are but a few challenges that face Obama. Can he pull it off? Yes, it can be done, and he will be challenged. it's time for a change, though and we're ready! 

In all of my 58 years I'm most proud of my constituents and common folk who eschewed passivity and voted! Moreover, I've never experienced the type of political interest and participation as I've witnessed in all phases of how this man was embraced. It forced people to see beyond their ignorances and demanded that multicultural makeup of many segments of our society display a needed and diverse way of thinking. It wholeheartedly attributes toward a consolidation of ideals. The new President brings a lot to the table. His cool demeanor harkens to a man who has responded like a true statesman with a style that is believable - well, like a president should! Now that we are out of the Bushes as it pertain to the wherewithal for a new lease on life, we the people need something that can help us turn the tide and gain a toe-hold for temperance. We are in an economic funk with decadence abounding and unabated. Now comes the brash and confident Senator from Chicago with a plan.  I feel confident myself that he has the intelligence and steady temperament needed to run this country. Witness how the aforementioned campaigns were were marked by patience, planning, discipline and organization.  When the crisis struck, he handled them with aplomb and gave one of the most poignant speeches demonstrating a profound respect for the electorate. 

Verbose he was, and not apologizing for it, his oratorical skill in my opinion was the center of his campaigns, and has returned eloquence to its essential place for good politics. Hearing my friends of other persuasions echoing disapproval, and championing the color of a mans skin rather than the content of his character rang true of the bells of discontent having a Black man for president.  My feelings are strong and opinionated about this whole affair. We've just transcended the threshold of history and the world should be rejoicing!  Think about it: the times have changed and we are changed with them.  We KNOW that these are perilous and troubled times. The annals of history has proven that we are a people of destiny and have survived because of, and not despite overt prosecution. We have weathered storms and have withstood being much maligned. But guess what? America needs this uplift amid the realism for change.  It most definitely needs a leader with intelligence  and a disposition that is emotionally attuned to our rapidly changing times. I can hear my ancestors at the turn of each century rising in their graves spurring us on. Booker T. Washington is in accord with W.E.B DuBois and Frederick Douglass is giving yet, another oratorical gem of a speech extolling our preeminence. Then there's Martin Luther King standing with reverence on the mountaintop (with God's blessings), with outstretched hands helping Marcus Garvey reach the height of his ideals. "Up you mighty race!" he proclaims. But I, an humble man of idealistic fortitude can be heard saying in my own vice -- "get over it America, and thanks for electing Barack Obama to serve in the Black House! God said that the first will be last, and the last will be first. That's enough for me, so be it!"