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Monday, November 10, 2008 - Barack Star

I spent two and a half hours in line the other day to cast my vote. I was shocked and inspired by the amount of people stretching around a tiny church in downtown LA to make their voices heard. The diversity was overwhelming; old, young, rich, poor, every shade of color, varying languages fluttering around, and yet we were all there with one purpose, to be heard. Regardless of who you were voting for, or what propositions you strongly agreed with or adamantly disagreed with, there was a respect that you were exercising your right, your privilege.

The rest of the day was spent glued to the television. This was our walking on the moon, our Dream speech, our crumbling wall. Along with my closest friends, we gathered around our television set and watched as history was made before our very eyes. When they announced who had won the Presidency, we clinked champagne glasses and had !+#%* streaming down our faces as we listened to one of the most poetic speeches anyone in my generation has ever witnessed. While we all understand the current state of the nation; the debt, the war, the economy, etc., our weak spark was engulfed into an unbridled bonfire of hope.

For the first time my friends fought for something they believed in, they carpooled to swing states, made phone calls and went door to door to promote a presidential candidate they believed in. Then, as though not really understanding the influence they had or all that was riding on this heat, their horse won the race. All the hard work, all the time and energy and blind faith paid off and when Obama won, they won. Regardless of your politics, or which party you claim, this was a monumental moment for America. Not only were the voting numbers higher than ever before in history, but a country once divided by race has leveled the playing field and provided hope for all. Black, white, yellow, purple; Barack has shattered an archaic mold, an unfair paradigm and in doing so has inspired a nation.

We are this country. Our voices were heard. Our actions were rewarded. And we have a new president. The road will be long, but hope will be our lamplight along the path, our warmth in the cold and our sustenance in the face of hunger. I believe in this country, but more importantly, I believe in the people who are the fabric of this country because I am a part of that fabric as well. It's an honor, an opportunity to participate in the rebuilding of this precious nation. Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom to trigger a panic button big enough to take action. We hit that bottom, and in doing so, we are responding, full throttle ahead.