Never in My Lifetime

Based on the early counts, it looks like the United States has just elected Barack Obama as its 44th president. I remember months ago Whoopi Goldberg said on 'The View' that younger African-Americans may not understand that people of her generation never imagined that a Black man would even have a realistic chance at being President of the United States. I, a 34 year old man, never thought I would see the day when an African-American became President of the United States, unless it was on '24' and even then I was shocked.

What really strikes me is that our grandmothers who turned 90 and 89 this year have lived to see this moment. I cannot imagine what it must feel like to have experienced segregation and Jim Crow, to see cars and computers become the norm, to have lost their husbands and some of their children, and to see a Black man become President. My grandmother-in-law experienced racism firsthand not once but decades of her life. My grandmother and her husband, my grandfather, moved from their home state of Virginia to Buffalo, NY in order to get the best care for their first-born daughter, my mother. They knew that in the late 1940's, they could not get the best care possible for their little Black baby in Virginia so they moved without hesitation. Both of our grandmothers saw their children and grandchildren earn college degrees and start families and careers.

I cannot help but think about my mother who died earlier this year. She died weeks before the Florida primary election. Since she had her pace maker put in and her cataracts removed, she felt she had the energy and visual acuity to be more involved. She was going to be a poll worker. She was excited about playing a role in the election process beyond being a voter. She was so proud of herself. I remember when she called me at work to talk about her poll worker application. She was almost giddy but very serious because she wanted to make sure she submitted the best application she could so that she would be selected. I know if she had lived to fulfill her poll worker duties, she would have gotten up early that morning and driven herself to the polling place in her new Camry. She was planning what food she needed to bring with her so she could keep her eating schedule. She was ready but her plans were derailed.

Upon our return from her funeral, her Florida poll worker shirt arrived in the mail. She too never thought she would see the day the an African-American would be elected President of the United States. Unfortunately, she did not.

I have never missed her more than this day at this moment.
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For the record, John McCain is showing real, genuine class in his concession speech. It is the best, and possibly the most important speech he has given of his campaign. I think he did a fantastic job.