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Whew

When they called Pennsylvania, I knew.

When they called Ohio, I knew for sure.

But I still got chills up and down my spine when they called it for good. And I have tears in my eyes every time I think of his speech.

Last night, I attempted to explain to Mallory why this was such a big deal. (This was after a rather undignified few minutes during which she, Phoebe and I danced around the living room chanting Go-bama, Go-bama!) I tried to explain that not so many years ago, black people couldn't even vote, much less become president. She looked at me in great perplexity. She didn't get it. She didn't get racial prejudice. And now...well, it's not that I believe for a second that she and Phoebe will grow up in a world where prejudice doesn't exist. But they do live in a country where, for one election, it was transcended. This is their world now, and their history being made, and I...I'm just elated.

Comments

aimee said…
Last night some reporter said that Obama was elected mostly by people that weren't around during the Civil Rights Movement. That says that younger people just voted for someone that inspired them, not because a black man had never been president. Which is cool.
12:42 PM
Krista said…
Yeah, that's exactly what I mean...it's cool that in some ways it wasn't even an issue at all.
1:04 PM
Cheryl Wray said…
So historic. And I pray that it will change things. One comment that I thought was very insightful was that for the next four years we and our kids will see a black family in the White House. It will seem "normal" and I thnk that is such a great thing!

His speech was so inspiring.
2:14 PM
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