LANDING IN WONDERLAND
Yesterday morning millions of Americans, especially African Americans woke up feeling like they landed in wonderland. Barack Hussein Obama has become president-elect of the United States of America. Imagine that… A black man is President of a country still considered by most to be the most important nation on earth. Amazing!!!
But what does that really mean?
To the folks of my parent’s generation, the election of Obama represents the realization of a dream that most thought was impossible. It was fantasy – something you never thought of or imagined. How could a black man – an African American, ever be elected to the top job in a country where recent memory can still recall a time when it’s black citizens couldn’t even sit on front of a public bus, much less exercise their right to vote?! I spoke to my precious mother, and she could only say that she wished him well and would pray for him on his journey.
For my generation – the chief beneficiaries of the hard earned battles of generation’s past – Obama’s victory is a wake-up call for what we can do to prove that “yes we can.” His win also provides an example of what we can do to make a difference in the lives of future generations.
Finally, for our young, the Obama wins shatters the status-quo and symbolically opens the door to new realms of possibility. His win represents that they will come of age in a nation that really does extend opportunity to all of its citizens.
Right now, immediately following the election, I feeling elated, but still unclear about what an Obama presidency really means. Now I am totally clear that I will not wake up to streets lined with chitterlings, greens and corn bread.
However, what I do know is that tomorrow will bring the start of a new America that represents a new life on the other side of the rabbit’s hole.
Of course, only time will tell.
Gil Robertson IV is a journalist, bestselling author and lecturer. His work has appeared in numerous publications that include the LA Times, the Atlanta Journal Constitution and Black Enterprise magazine. To contact him, visit www.gilspeaks.net.
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