Look Over There, It's History

I have been lucky enough to have been alive for a few moments that could be considered historical. I remember the first moon landing, the end of the Viet Nam war and the introduction of the Big Mac. All important events, and depending on the day, each gets the top spot on my personal list. Sure, there are more. You want a list? Look, time is short so you'll have to believe me. I've seen history and so have you. Sometimes it slips by us unnoticed and then there are days like today (technically last night) that you can't over look.

The Democratic primaries were set up to have a historical outcome. The two leading candidates were a black man and a woman. Whichever candidate became the nominee would be the first of their respective groups to achieve such a goal. Last night, Barack Obama became the first African American to become a major party nominee for President of the United States. Think about that for a second. There, your second is up.

What a turning point in this country. It wasn't too long ago that black people couldn't vote, eat at a restaurant or ride in the front of the bus. There are men and women alive now who fought for Civil Rights in the face of brutality, dogs and fire hoses that are now seeing their efforts bare fruit. I am happy for them. I'm also happy for myself and the rest of this country.

I can't pretend to know the suffering of others. I won't even try to talk about the history of racism in this country, but I will say this, I believe that the nomination of Barack Obama is a huge step toward finally putting aside the past. Will there still be racism? You bet. Just last night I heard an old woman from Kentucky on the radio. She told the host she was "afraid for America, because Obama will nominate Lewis Farrakhan or someone like that to be Vice President." Sadly, she's not the only person who feels that way. There will always be people to whom skin color is all the reason they need to write someone off. Obama's nomination may also help to quiet some of the racist rants from the other side as well. How will people like Reverend Wright and Father Pflager, among others, preach that "the white man is keeping us down" if a black man is President? It doesn't carry the same weight if your man is in charge. Maybe both sides will have to drop the old school posturing and admit that while things are still far from perfect, we're on the right track.

Let's enjoy today. Progress has been made and something historical has happened. I know that there are all kinds of people, black, white, whatever that never thought they would see this day in their lifetime. Take a few moments to reflect on that. The General Election Campaign has begun and who knows what the results will be, but for today at least, America has taken a huge step toward the future. I'm going for a Big Mac. Later...Brian