Since I knew who the presidential candidates were, I knew this would be an interesting election. Either way we would have a first, and a very important first at that...Either the first black man as president, or the first white woman as vice president.
I've been following the election semi-closely because of this...trying to watch the debates and such. I found it incredibly hard to decide which candidate I would vote for. Admittedly, it didn't truly matter who I supported, seeing as I'm five months shy of being able to vote, but it was good to explore some issues and work things out within myself anyway.
Before yesterday I had decided that if I had been able to vote, I would have voted for John McCain for several reasons...but mainly because he seemed the 'safer' way to go. While Obama captured my attention with his golden tongue and charismatic ways, I thought that as far as the country was concerned, we were better safe than sorry.
Yesterday, in the middle of the day however, my mind was almost changed simply because of the way I saw McCain supporters acting.
Yesterday, I experienced more prejudice and racism than I ever have before in my life.
When I lived up North, race was never an issue. I had heard of racism, but never seen it in action. I had never hated a black person and never truly met any African American that would give their race a bad name. Racism was just not apart of my reality.
Now that we live in the South, racism is a bit more relevant. I've seen it for the first time over these past couple years when I heard older people talking, but dismissed it as old southern talk and tried not to let it make me angry.
The things I heard yesterday though were absolutely atrocious.
I received a text message from one of my friends yesterday afternoon saying, "
Polls show Obama in the early lead, but all that will change as soon as all the white people get off work!"
I was immediately offended. First of all, was this meant to say that black people don't work and that we're just waiting for all the good upstanding white citizens to get off work so that they can defeat the bums that voted when they didn't have anything better to do?
Second, is this meant to say that all black people are voting for Obama? Or that all white people are voting for McCain?
There were so many assumptions in that one message, I was infuriated. I thought racism was a thing of the past, especially with nice people like the friend that sent me the message!
Later on another acquaintance of mine made a comment about having a 'nigger president'. This of course, absolutely appalled me! I seriously did not think people still thought this way...Not even here in the South.
This time I confronted it and told the girl it was offensive. That didn't seem to make much of a difference...She just accused me of stalking her (nice defense mechanism right there...maybe I should try accusing people of stalking me whenever I get upset at them) and didn't seem remorseful at all about how disrespectful she had been. I'm still glad I said something though.
Honestly, this has me very upset. I truly thought racism was far behind us, you know?
Obama's politics may be off center, but that has nothing to do with the color of his skin whatsoever...And honestly, he seems like a very strong man who can handle the presidency, and I think he has earned his term.
I watched
The View this morning. It really helped me realize what a victory this truly is for black people. Whoopi Goldberg was talking about how she had always
known she was a citizen here, and that this was her home...But she said that last night she was struck with the feeling of being able to "Set my suitcase down, finally."
Another African American co-host on the show, Sherri Shepherd, cried when she talked about getting to tell her very young son that he could now do whatever he wanted to do or be whoever he wanted to be.
Another part of that show that struck me was a clip of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech. Here is the same excerpt I heard on the show...
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal. "
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today. To me, in light of the racism we see even today, hearing that speech again was very gripping.
I wish everyone could get along. I wish that there wasn't so much hate and racism everywhere, on both sides.
It's pure ignorance.
