This was a GREAT week in history. The Inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama as the 44Th President of the United States took place a day after Martin Luther King, Jr Day. The first mixed race (but according to the US census African American) President of the United States.
I had so many thoughts as I watched on Tuesday.
Thankfulness to the Obama family because their lives will be forever changed. Sasha and Malia, you are sharing your Daddy with the world and I thank you and commit to pray protection for all of you. Michelle, you are an amazing mother and wife. The President couldn't have made it this far without your support and love. Mr. President, you were born for this time. Your life experiences have opened your eyes to many cultures and you are willing to listen. That is a quality that is needed in government and life.
Close to 2 million people actually descended on Washington, DC to just be there. By the way, for all you people complaining about the $1.4 million that it cost to put this on, those 2 million who showed up more than paid for the day. Besides, the day provided jobs for people and for the poor in DC, it gave them something to REALLY celebrate for once. I didn't hear that much of an uproar when they flew Former President Reagan's body from California, marched him through the streets of DC twice and then flew him back to California. Where were the complaints then? We have been waiting a long time for this time so Dammit we are going to celebrate!
Anyway, as my mom said no one will ever understand what it feels like to be told you are inferior. This from someone who left St. Vincent for a better life to become a domestic (MAID) in some lady's house. She later became a psychiatric nurse and retired after 40 years. My father left Barbados for a better life and also became a Psychiatric Nurse. Why would they leave such paradises... well, most people never get off the cruise ship long enough to go to the real places. The places with no indoor plumbing and if there is you have to use a bucket to flush because there isn't enough water pressure. The tourists never see all the crops that get wiped out from hurricanes. Crops that these people depend on. These are the people, who want something more only to find racial prejudice when they reach the country they immigrate to.
Tuesday January 20Th, 2009 was VINDICATION! A dream no longer deferred. So to those people who don't understand you will never understand. You will never understand living next to a neighbour, who took great joy in calling my brother and I "Nig*er" for years! You will never understand the feeling you get when you find out that you brother is getting hate mail while in Bible College. You will never understand interviewing for churches and being told that maybe you should go work with "your" people. You will never understand the pain of hearing my cousin, who was mixed race like my children, being chased and called "Ni*ger" while at University. You will never understand being followed around a department store because you are Black and they think you are going to steal something. You will never understand the look you get because your husband is white or being asked if you are babysitting your own children.
You will never understand the fear you feel when you hear that people burned "KKK" into a couple of mixed race front lawn and hear they someone tried to follow that up with more. You will never understand the feeling you get when you hear that people of a certain political party make fun of some one's race. Not to mention hearing that "having a "Ni*ger" in the White house is good because it is Black on White and easier to shoot". WHAT THE HELL???
It also gave me hope that my children will not have to experience those things because I am not looking forward to the day, if it comes, that I have to explain why some one called them a bad name.
Oh and for all of you who think that we are not realistic, we do not pin all our hopes on ONE Man. Just like we hoped for so long that we would see the day of a Black President we lived every day in reality and that reality was not always pretty. One person didn't put this country in the crapper, so it will take more than one person to get us out.
VINDICATION!!! YES! It also means that there are no excuses. Two well educated people of colour have made it to the most powerful, sacred positions of Government and they are encouraging ALL to get this country going again. NO EXCUSES!
I like that he froze the salaries of those in Government and all the little back-handed gifts. It is about time!
I had to get that off my chest and if you read this far good for you, if not I don't care.
I'll leave with Two special moments from Tuesday:
1. The Swearing In (Even if Chief Roberts got it wrong)
2. The First Dance at the Neighbourhood Ball, where actual neighbours of the White House were invited. They were given their first party dresses and Tuxes and watched the First Couple Dance. This reminded me of my parents... love in all circumstances...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comments:
I understand. I grew up in an interracial community. A ghetto area, and we did not know there was a racial thing..how strange. We all were in it together, and we helped and loved on each other through life issues. It wasn't til I was a teenager that I realized that there were people who saw skin color before they saw the person. How sad. Although I am white, I went through lots with my friends who were not, and I never abandoned them, they are my family.
I celebrate too! This is history, and a fresh hope for all the children that we can dream, and some of them do come true!
This is a very good post! thank you! darla ( i have a very good friend who lives in Barbados, and no it is not in the tourist section)
Post a Comment