This Election Day Reminder-"Let's Never Give Up Hope"

On this Election Day I won't tell you to, "GET OUT AND VOTE", but I will share my personal journal that I shared two years ago. Don't give up on hope and progress.......

My Election Day When History Was Made

November 5th 2008

President Obama. I think I want to say it again, President Obama. I'm not dreaming and though it is still hard to believe. America has a president of African descent. In other words, 'A Black man is president of these United States. America's voice was heard loud and clear. America wanted change. This election had nothing to do with black and white, but more about change. Black America is roughly about 13% of this nation's population, so there's no way that Barak could have won with the 'black' vote only. He would need some of the white vote in order to win.

This is now the NEW-nited States of America. It's a NEW America. Does Barak being president of the country, put an end to racial divide here in America? No. Of course not, but I like when Barak said, "From here we're going FORWARD". America is going forward. America spoke loudly. America said no matter what race, America voted for the best person for the job.

Just looking at Times Square in New York City and Grant Park in Chicago, shows what America could be. The 'newness' that America wants to become. I saw white people just as excited as black people. I saw people of all races excited. The streets were talking and they were talking loud. WE WANT CHANGE!!!! A different direction!! Something New!!

My election day was very interesting, but most of all memorable. I recently moved to Texas, but never registered as a voter there. I voted absentee during the primaries here in NY, but this election I had to fly back home to NY, so I could be in NY to cast my vote. I stayed over my mother's house and we went to bed early the night before, so we could get ready to cast our votes in the morning......

At 4:30am my sister Lavern came downstairs to inform everyone she was on her way to work. Her job that day was a pole worker. She works the poles every election. About 6am my mother was screaming, "Let's go! We should have left already. The poles are going to be crowed and I want to get in and out." My older of two sisters Cookie hurried along and the three of us got in the car for a short drive around the corner to my old elementary school, PS 156. When we arrived the line was down and around the block. We parked our car near the end of the line and I got my mother, her cane, and her walker. She has the walker with the little seat on it. People of all ages were in line, but everyone in line was looking at my mother with a sense of pride. They saw her struggling to make her way from the car to the line. She took her first steps without the cane or the walker. I guess she knew she was on stage. She walked over to the line and proudly got at the back. She looked at me with a look of, "Give me my walker". I rolled over her walker and she grasps it tightly. My sister parked the car and I stood in line with my mother and my sister later joined us.

While we were in line people were walking around taking pictures of the line. One older gentleman was walking the entire line videotaping. A couple of cars rolled around honking their horns. One SUV rolled around the line with a young lady in the back yelling, “Good Morning!! Good Morning!! Don't get down, the line is moving!!! It's a good morning. Good Morning!!” The vibe of the people was a good one. It was about 6:45am and the people were cool while they stayed in line to be part of history. Everyone in line stood proud as if our ancestors were looking down on us.

About an hour of waiting in the line, a police officer saw my mother and told me I can take her through the handicap entrance. I took my mother through the handicap entrance and with a lot of "excuse me's" we made our way to the voting booth. A couple of young women allowed my mother to 'skip' them in line. One of the girls said to me, "it's an honor to allow her my place in line". My mother thanked the young ladies, smiled, and rolled her walker in front of the polling booth. The gentleman at the booth assisted my mother with her walker and she closed the curtains and came out with a smile. She cast her vote and took a seat on the walker seat as she waited for me to vote.

Afterwards we walked by the long lines that weren't as long as we were on it. However the line was still long. I stopped by 7 Eleven got a paper and got my mother and sister some hot coffee. We came home and my sister cooked breakfast for the household. My nephew was on his way to work and came downstairs to proudly tell us, that he was on his way to vote. This was his first presidential election and he had to get some rest, because it was his mother that works at the poles. He was tired from taking her to her polling location at 4:30 in the morning.

Later on that night, my brother Dennis and his wife Dianne came by with a large bottle of Moet and some fried chicken. He said this was a celebration and we're going to celebrate big time. About 11pm it was announced on the television that we now have a presidential elect, Mr. Barak Obama. We started yelling, shouting, and screaming. The people from all over the world were excited as if they lived in America. In all the joy I saw my mother walk her way to her room via a cane. She took a moment alone to cry. My mother is 80 years old. My mother is from South Carolina. My mother can tell many stories of racism in her time here on earth, for this one moment, MY MOTHER WAS PROUD. She mumbled lightly, "Thank God. Thank God for this day." We cracked jokes all night and watch the news until the New President Elect Barak Obama spoke. My brother wanted to head to Time Square to celebrate with the people, but celebrating this moment with family and our mother who made her way to the booth with a walker, was the best place to enjoy this moment. For from this moment on the presidential word is FORWARD. Obama told America we have a lot of work to do, so let's move FORWARD!!

I Thank God. I thank God for allowing me the time, spare change, the ability to go home and vote, and this great moment in history. I thank God I got a chance to experience this moment with my mother. I thank God for Obama and I ask God to protect this man as he works for ALL OF AMERICA. This is the NEW-nited States of America.