Whew! What a week. History in the making. Barack Obama becomes the first African-American nominated by a party to be its candidate for the presidency of the United States of America. Regardless of one's political affiliations and views concerning Mr. Obama, the reality of this occasion has profound significance that cannot be denied nor can be overlooked. Senator Obama is at the threshold of achieving one of the greatest accomplishments ever, namely, shattering the highest glass ceiling that has existed in this country -- 43 consecutive white male presidents.
Some said it would never happen, a few said it could happen, many now say it might happen, and a whole nation of African-Americans are hoping it will happen. And if it happens, it will be the validation, recognition, and legitimization that so many African-Americans have sought after for so long. Finally, a real possibility to have a black man leading the most powerful nation in the world and to have a black woman as the First Lady of a land that just 50 short years ago didn't even allow blacks to ride in the front of a bus. My, my, how things have changed. Forget that 40 acres and a mule, we might get the White House and Air force One!
Whether Senator Obama is qualified enough is not the issue for today. We can discuss politics later. For now, the national reverberations of Mr. Obama's nomination are worthy of both note and applause. I'm sure my 79 year old grandmother, who just went home to be with the Lord on June 14th, would have loved to see this day. Regardless of the outcome, I hope my 5 children will live to see many more days like this one. Hurray, not just for African-Americans, but for America!
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