Still, we rise with Obama

“Their eyes watched in amazement. A sense of pride, progress, and prowess they didn’t yet fully understand.” Taken from “The People Could Fly” by Virginia Hamilton.

I’ll never forget the night my soul reached beyond its physical being and held a once cowering hand up in pride proclaiming, “Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last.”

A man who resembled my father or my brother had earned the right to lead this country. My country, which I had never envisioned could be led by a man of my color, is loosening its chains. The institutionalized whip that has long thrown people of color into the back corner has finally begun to lose its strength. Specifically, the African-American race is reclaiming its reputation and tearing through the negative perspective that has been inflicted upon us for far too long.

Following Barack Obama’s acceptance speech, my friends and I ecstatically ran out of The Eclectic Society House to let our overflowing emotions loose throughout campus. We quickly found ourselves outside of the Usdan Campus Center, along with a large majority of Wesleyan’s student population. The crowd resembled a party one might find on New Year’s Eve with music blaring and bodies swaying in excitement. However, this celebration was different.

On New Year’s Eve, many individuals tend to indulge in alcoholic substances or other night enhancers. On this particular evening (although I cannot speak for everyone), it was as if everyone was on a natural high. Natural is relative, of course, but it truly seemed that faith fueled the evening’s energy. I say faith because we all were united in joy because we had believed. We had believed in, as Obama said, “The hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too.” We believed, with passionate fervor, in the audacity of hope.

As time moves forward, it is my great expectation that we will all take his win as an example that we can accomplish anything as a country. Both Democrats and Republicans united to change our country’s direction. We are growing beyond the discrimination that has crippled us for so long.

In the words of Dr. Maya Angelou, “You may write me down in history with your bitter twisted lies, you may trod me in the bitter dirt. But still like dust, I rise.” This is what we do as Americans, we rise.