Many Blacks Find Joy in Unexpected Breakthrough
Kwabena Sam-Brew, a 38-year-old immigrant from Ghana, doubted that Nana, his 5-year-old American-born daughter, would remember the rally that effectively crowned Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee Tuesday night.
But Mr. Sam-Brew said he would describe it to her: “I will tell her, ‘Tonight is the night that all Americans became one.’ ”
Mr. Sam-Brew, a bus driver living in Cottage Grove, Minn., said Mr. Obama’s achievement would change the nation’s image around the world, and change the mind-set of Americans, too.
“We as black people now have hope that we have never, ever had,” Mr. Sam-Brew said. “I have new goals for my little girl. She can’t give me any excuses because she’s black.”
We will tell our children – and ourselves – if Barack could do it, you can do it too.
I am white, and my wife is African American. We plan to have children in a few years, and I look forward to telling them they can truly be anything they want to be when they grow up, and to tell them about President Obama.
I think that President Obama will also be an inspiration for little girls and boys of all races. I know that some Clinton supporters cannot fathom that Obama would inspire a little girl to be POTUS, but Obama is not only a natural leader with wonderful plans for America — he also represents all of us who love this country and have struggled to make it a better place. Obama represents a diverse and United America.
I’ve waited a long time to be able to start feeling proud of my country again. It feels damn good.
It’s even more of an accomplishment when you understand that in no way was it inevitable. The national reconciliation that has taken place (with still more to come I hope) is not always found around the world.
Cyprus is still split between Greece and Turkey.
Bosnia, Rwanda, and too many more to mention may never have such a chance to heal their wounds.
So celebrate the rarity, may many more countries head down that path.
My daughter is 4 months old and her mom brought her to the rally (I’d have been there myself but I’m out of town). We figure we can tell her all about it when she’s older.