I thought I’d see it sometime in my lifetime, but it has happened. The people of the United States elected an African-American President. (Yes, I know Obama is of mixed heritage, but I believe he would identify himself as an African-American). Having been raised in Mississippi, and frequently being exposed to the racism that still exists not just here, but  throughout our country, it makes me pause and think of how far we have come in such a short (relatively speaking) time.

Forty-odd  years ago, we were deep in the civil rights movement. There were segregated restaurants, drinking fountains, restrooms, etc. I started elementary school in 1976, and my year was the first one in my school district to be racially integrated from first grade on. I had teachers I loved and respected who participated in civil rights marches. I heard their stories and it is so hard for me to imagine the sacrifices and risks they took for their principles. I don’t intend for this post to be a commentary on civil rights and race relations, but its hard to avoid those topics and mention the significance. Today, we have the son of a Kenyan immigrant being sworn in as the President of the United States.

It’s a wondrous thing we do in the United States, every four to eight years, we change the head of our government and state. There’s not an armed revolution. Nobody kills another as the only means of getting into that office. Our military simply accepts that is has a new commander-in-chief. Say what you want about all the many flaws our system has, but there is no way you can say that such a thing is not astounding.

Sure, there are other countries in the world that this happens, but I don’t think there’s one where it has happened as often as it has happened here. What makes it even more incredible is that our population is almost split 50-50  among those who would define themselves as Republican or Democrat. But there is no popular cry ringing out to overthrow the government because one side lost an election or another won. We simply accept the result and live our lives, never thinking of how rare a process it is.

I’ll be honest; I didn’t vote for soon-to-be President Obama. I usually vote Republican, even though I’m more Libertarian than I am either of the two major parties. Yet, it was still hard for me to avoid being swept up in the huge emotional tide surrounding him. I have to hand it to whoever writes his speeches. I listen to them and I sometimes want to join in the cheer of “Yes, we can!” 

Today, whether you are black, white, red, yellow, or polka dot; Democrat, Republican, or Independent, you are an American, and Barak Obama will become our 44th President. We are the United States of America, and yes, we can.

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