WATCHING HISTORY

November 4th, 2008 was one of the most memorable days of my life. On that day, I stood in Grant Park, Chicago and listened to America's first African-American president-elect deliver his victory address. I was one member of a teeming crowd of hundreds of thousands, stretching in every direction as far as the eye could see. Though deep down, I was sure of the result before that day, it was not enough to prevent me from being overtaken by a sense of wonder when the final projection flashed across the big screens. At that moment, complete strangers embraced each other in joy, amazed that such an improbable accomplishment had been achieved - after all, many of those present at the rally remembered a time when blacks could not sit at the same lunch counter as whites. As a 24 year old whose mother was born in a segregated America, it was impossible not to feel proud of my country and privileged to be present as history was made.




But despite this, the success on Election Night was not unimaginable. Like many others, I have spent the last two years intently watching the rise of Barack Obama. When he arrived in the Senate, I followed his legislative agenda and began listening to his weekly podcasts - a remarkable innovation that no other senator had yet attempted. I was impressed by thoughtful approach to questions of policy and his reluctance to provide simple sound bites. When he launched his presidential campaign, I immediately signed on and made my first political contribution - a $25 donation to Obama for America. I marveled as Obama was routinely underestimated and dismissed as unable to act as an effective executive, even as he built and managed the most effective political organization in American history. For the first time, I volunteered my time in a campaign effort, making calls to sign up attorneys for voter protection efforts on Election Day. So when Obama won the presidency with the support of over 68 million Americans, the second-largest victory relative to population size in history, it was hard for me to be surprised.

Since I followed Obama for so long, I came to have faith not just in his promises, but also in his way of thinking. Because of that, I don't think my strong support for his ascendancy matched the irrational hero-worship of some supporters (though some of my friends would probably say otherwise). Though I'm optimistic about the next four (or eight) years, I realize there are many things Obama cannot (or will not) do. Though I'm sure some sort of health care reform will be passed, he may not be able to ensure that it provides as significant an improvement as is possible. While I anticipate that he will trigger a massive change in energy investment and production that will put the country on a path away from fossil fuel dependence, I know it will be accompanied by fits and starts. And though I have no doubt that Obama the man wants nothing more than to be a fair broker in the Middle East peace process, I fear that Obama the president will have difficulty marshaling support for a fair resolution of that crisis.

What I do know, though, is that for the first time in decades, our president's heart and mind are going to be in exactly the right place. Barack Obama will be one of the most intelligent and thoughtful men ever to occupy the White House, and by all indications he is free of the character flaws and undisciplined instincts that hampered many of our otherwise well-intentioned leaders.

For these reasons alone, I have very high hopes for the Obama presidency. I expect to be disappointed and frustrated sometimes, as any citizen in a democracy should. But I also eagerly anticipate watching (and helping) this new administration put our country back on the right track again. I'm also proud that, for the first time in my life, I will be able to count myself as a supporter of the current administration, and the man at its helm.

YES, IT HAPPENED

Like countless others, there is no way I will ever be able to forget what happened on November 4, 2008, nor how it made me feel. In and of itself, the election of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States - 40 years after the civil rights era - was clearly a momentous occurrence and cause for celebration. I shouldn't have to elaborate on what this means to Black Americans and for now, I won't. Like Obama, I'm a first generation American who's roots may not be as firmly planted in US soil as those who's families have been here for several generations. Still his rise to the Oval Office is an inspiring story on both sides of the fence, so much so that volumes can be (have been and will be) written to explain why.

Although I appreciated the significance of Obama's victory immensely, it was the street celebrations that touched me most of all, especially the ones in the nation's capital. They captured the very essence of that significance. It was a historic moment that most of us were not expecting to experience in our lifetime. I've been in the DC area now for a little over 15 years and I have never seen anything remotely close to those spontaneous street celebrations that went into the the morning.

I work around the corner from the White House. As soon as victory was ensured, horns started honking nonstop - it sounded almost like Beirut. The same downtown Washington streets that are typically deserted at night were buzzing with jubilant people. I headed towards Pennsylvania Avenue in the early hours of November 5th, high-fiving smiling strangers. The chants and drums grew louder with every step as I walked up 16th Street. I stopped when I could see the mass of bodies through the fence. I just stood there for a while and took it all in - a moving experience. It didn't take very long for me to call Junius who was at Grant Park... and here we are now.

I wanted my first post to to express the significance I find in Obama's election to the White House, but to do so thouroughly at this point would be overwhelming for me and you; it would also make some of my future postings a little redundant. We will be writing about all sorts of subjects. We will be discussing the significance of Obama's story in various contexts. We will be looking for change and exploring its meaning. A Black man (fathered by a foreigner) becoming president of the United States of America is a victory for every American that is understandably celebrated all around the world, but we need to keep an eye on what follows.

Barack Obama embodied change without saying a word. There is no question that having him and his family in the White House will be an immensely symbolic change in and of itself. However, what this country needs is substantive change. I'm not very optimistic that we'll be seeing much of that... particularly as it pertains to foreign policy. Although Obama will be the US President, in this day and age he can have tremendous impact across the globe.

So what happens next? What needs to change? What will Obama do? What won't he do? What can he do? Now that reality is sinking in, we need a sober assessment of the situation. We'll be following the transition process and posting on a variety of topics up until Inauguration Day when we will begin our work in earnest. Stay tuned.