history!

Whenever anyone asked about who will be the next President, I felt sure it would be Obama. So as the days to the election drew near, I grew more and more eager for it. I began to tire of hearing the bickering. I had all my students watch the primaries and even the twelve year olds who knock each other down left and right daily joning on one another were frustrated to see so much of it going on during national television when they were trying to take notes on candidates policy stances (a beautiful thing to hear in the ear!).

In this election, the political slamming sounded more personally offensive, rude, with the oppressive twist of hate stemming from the age old sin of racist power. Even McCain tried to stop his supporters from going into the repugnant ignorant image-bearer denial saying he would not tolerate people saying things like, "they feared their lives if a terrorist like Barack would be president." While Bobby and I looked at one another aghast, "did she really just call him a terrorist!?!?!!" It is sad how embedded the working of repression, slavery, and fear tactics are ingrained into our country, but true. There is much to overcome.

I do not support everything either McCain or Barack supports. That is why my faith calls me not to bear allegiance to an earthly king but to know I already have one. Instead, I pick who matches the most of my most passionate beliefs. I understand why politics gets so personal. It reveals some of our most treasured truths that we believe to be good, right, and honorable truths. I do not believe in one issue voting. While I know the christian church pushes two issues above all else, abortion and homosexuality, they are not my most pertinent international issues. I am not an advocate of abortion, because I believe in the holiness of and scared nature of life. But the personal choice does not seem to be the highest global priority or domestic issue, for myself. I would like to hear my leader take a radical stand on the environment, to stop using nuclear energy and fossil fuels and promote cleaner more efficient energy, to stop the genocide in darfur, to rebuild the devastation wracked Katrina scar on New Orleans and Mississippi, to end hunger globally, to eradicate poverty, to create healthy jobs, to support education and domestically push for better, equal, and quality public education for every child in america, to create universal health care as a basic right not a private privilege for the elite, to discourse peace in the middle east-not more war, to have to courage for international diplomacy and not military might, to bring the troops, daily giving their lives away in Iraq, home, to secure our borders not with fear tactics but with intelligence building international relationships, treating immigrants as human beings deserving of all the good things God created not as criminals crossing imaginary boundary lines for as God's people we should know most that we are all refugees needing care, of course the list goes on and on but when I look for a President, these issues are on the forefront of my heart (yes, making my mother and most conservatives cringe). But to me, these describe a better and more just life.

So when election day came, even though I just knew inside that Barack would win, I got swept away by the power and emotion. I woke up and walked with Bobby through what has to be the most beautiful neighborhood in all the world right now, our neighborhood lit up with the most unbelievable colors I fall in awe three times a day thinking God must be so pleased with himself creating so much splendor in one place. We walked hand in hand to the elementary school around the street to vote. I love all the signs, the volunteers, the active participating voters! I love our country forgetting apathy for one day and TRYING. The heart of true democracy! I went to work proudly seeing co-workers, "I voted stickers." I saw our four of age seniors voting for the first time in their lives! I explained to my students the electoral map, percentages, and watched them eagerly coloring in the red and blue states shouting in victory over every blue announcement. I saw the election rush through my students eyes as they wondered, Can I hope in this? Can something I dream come true? Can I believe it? We looked at every white president on the map on the wall preceding this election wondering if this year would be time for a chance at equality. for them, i think it was more a chance in life, period.

My co-worker from Ohio talked about growing up seeing the, "whites only" signs. When Ohio went blue...students raced up and down the hallways shouting in glee. When PA when blue, again the screaming echoed in the halls. It was happening! The students still worried anxiously knowing all too well that dreams don't always come true. The quivered over red states growing, close poll numbers as I kept asking them how Virginia was doing. Finally, it happened. We have overcome. The kids on the floors above us ran like praising thunder as our kids ran to tell everyone and hug, scream, and shout they had a President who looked like them. The school ran out into the courtyard joyfully, while students and co-workers cried overwhelmed at what this really meant. The kids went up and down the stairwells shouting, "O-B-A-M-A! O-B-A-M-A! O-B-A-M-A!" Hope for all! I gathered the girls into our common area and told them to look around because they would never forget this moment. Cierra started crying like a baby. Capri kissed every student on the cheek and even my belly saying, "FRee at Last!"

The girls took turns sharing what they felt inside:

"I feel rich today. I really feel rich. I feel like I am rich, and I can do something."

"I felt like something changed, like I have a chance."

"I feel like I can do something that maybe someone will listen."

"I feel like MLK's dream speech came true today."

"I'm so glad my mom and dad and Grandmother who were slaves could live to see this happen."

"I feel like things are possible for me."

"I feel like I am closer to my dream of becoming President."

The kids called their families and wrote in their journals and talked in their rooms excitedly. I couldn't stop smiling and crying at their words, the new reality, the hope that I could tell my baby it would be born in a year where new things were possible for their country that a history of cruel oppression was fading and a new country of equality and brotherhood was expanding, that we were another day closer to reflecting the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.