I Have A Dream... And It Came True

For the first time in my life, I feel proud to live in this country. I never thought I’d live to see a black man elected president of the United States of America. I’m still waiting for something to go wrong, but nothing has. We finally won, and for one day, at least, we’re on top of the world. This is the kind of peak that never comes again.

Reflecting on the cultural and intellectual revolution of 1967, Hunter S. Thompson once wrote, “You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning … We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave.” Today, 41 years later, we’ve finally recaptured this reality – the veracity of the American Dream is alive.

Indeed, as President-elect Obama (God, it feels good to write that) said, “Change has come to America.” The ideal that made this country what it is – the notion of attainable success, branded as the American Dream – has a pulse, and not the cookie-cutter, generic, Forrest Gump-like pulse that optimistically radiates throughout the white constituency of this vast land. But a pulse that shows that the dream – the same one Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his life for – is breathing; that no matter how much this country shits on you – the perennially disenfranchised minority population, and even the poor whites -- you still have a chance.


Now, don’t get me wrong, this country still faces racial inequality. You need only look to those two Neo-Nazis morons from Arkansas, to know that this country is far from color blind, but there’s a chance it can be. There’s hope.

An optimist will tell you that this election signifies a change in race relations. A pessimist will say that’s poppycock (yes, pessimists use Olde English curses), pointing to the South and Midwest as staples of racial injustice, while claiming that Obama won because the economy is in the crapper. But a pragmatist will tell you that Obama won because American citizens care more about money than they do about race, which may sound shallow, but fuck, think about where we were 50 years ago. Before this election, nothing ever trumped race, and we’ve been dire economic straits before. It may not seem like a lot, but it is.

After Obama’s victory last night, people from all walks of life celebrated together – young, thugged-out black guys from Bed-Stuy embraced and hugged overweight, middle-aged white liberals from the Upper West Side. Chicago’s Grant Park was a rippling tidal wave of human unity and spirit.

I myself became enveloped in the glow of righteousness – my throat tightened with every breath, my heart settled in my stomach, not in fear, but in ecstasy, in expectation of what is to come. For a second nothing felt real. Did this really happen? Was I really here? I went out onto my balcony and howled into the sky like a mad dog high on MDMA. As much as I try, I don’t think there are enough words in any language to explain what this means to me.

But fuck what this means to me. It means so much more to the African-American community in this country. A black child born today will never again think that he can’t become president, or anything else he wants to be for that matter. Whether or not that’s true can only be answered by time.

Watching tears stream down Jesse Jackson’s face, my heart wanted to burst from sheer euphoria. Here’s a man crying because his wildest dream has come to fruition. Here’s a man who never thought he’d see this day. Here’s a man who was there from the beginning – marching with Dr. King and standing next to him as he was brutally gunned down. Nothing can describe the authenticity of his elation. Just think how empowering it must feel to see a black man elected president. Fuck, it makes me want to cry.

Obama walked onstage for his acceptance speech like a man born for this moment. Exuding humility, he was sober, serious, and almost somber -- this is a man who realized the burden he’s about to assume. Make no mistake about it, our country is in the shitter, and Obama knows this, saying, “This victory alone is not the change we seek … America can change. Our union can be perfected.”

Obama’s election sends a clear message to this country, to the world – we are ready to make amends for our mistakes. Still, we must all be in this together. He was dead on when he said, “We rise or fall as one nation, one people.” And it’s about time our president started looking through an all-inclusive lens, instead of one that milks the prostate of his constituency. This election is our national catharsis.

Thomas Jefferson once said, “The whole art of government consists in the art of being honest.” No politician, and that certainly includes Jefferson, has ever exclusively practiced the art of honesty, and that is what our government is missing.

Last night, Obama promised, “I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face.” He is our first real chance at sincerity, integrity and candor in government, let’s hope he comes through.
Jerk Store out…