Dear Friends, The First Lady of the United States of America Michelle Obama will be in the State of Maryland on Monday, November 3rd, on the eve of the November 4, 2014 Maryland General Election at a rally in Baltimore City campaigning for Lt. Governor Anthony Brown. This announcement reminded me of why politics can played such a pivotal role in our society and history. Like many, I remember the first time I heard her husband, then an unknown Illinois State Senator speaking at the National Democratic Convention in 2004. When State Senator Obama said, This is not a red America or a blue America, this is the United States of America. That proclamation came with such vigor and determination, that I joined with millions of people that day in having my hopes for America buoyed. When United States Illinois Senator Obama announced his candidacy in 2008 in Springfield, Illinois, the birthplace of President Abraham Lincoln in the symbolism could not be missed. You could feel the excitement in the air. An excitement that was reminiscent of the Run Jesse Run campaign of 1984, except, this felt different, people actually believed that Senator Obama could win and win he did. Who can ever forget Grant Park in Chicago in November 2008, when tears of joy was running down the cheeks of the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., the night that Barack Obama was declared President-elect? So much has happened since then. Most notably, the young President has aged greatly. In 2012, when he ran for reelection, I will never forget how proud I was of the determination of African American voters. They stood in long lines for hours, waiting to cast their ballots. I remember taking an elderly voter from the Morris H. Blum Senior Apartments to her polling place and encountering a huge waiting line. The Election Judge at the polling place said to the lady when she got out of my car, Madam you will have a long wait, before you can vote and that senior citizen responded, Lady, you have no idea, how long, I have been waiting to cast this vote, I do not care, how long it take. No one will ever know the joy that comment brought to my heart. Mitt Romney was so sure that he was going to win in 2012, he did not even prepare a concession speech. When President Obama was declared the winner, you could hear a great sigh in rightwing America. These last six years have not been easy for President Obama. First, the Tea Party created a coded message, We want our Country back they said. We knew what they meant. Then we heard from the critics who called him a lair during a State of the Union address, then the questioning of his birth certificate and the Kentucky Minority Republican Leader Mitch McConnell who declared that his top priority was defeating him. We have seen numerous threats to his life and an incompetency with White House security that was both frightening and alarming. Now, six years later, Michelle Obama will be speaking at a rally. Surely, she has seen the toil that being President of the United States have taken on her husband. The man with the great smile, the calm demeanor, and the gentle spirit. I am sure that she and her daughters go to bed every night praying for the safety of her husband and their father. On Monday and Tuesday, as we prepare for the General Election, we have an opportunity to let them know, that they are not alone. When we cast our ballots on Tuesday, it will be after, we lift them up in prayer today. We want them to know, that those of us who are believers, know that there is a God who put wetness in water; blue in the sky; and allowed birds to fly. On Tuesday, November 4th we are going to the polls to cast our ballots. I want to thank God that He allowed me to live long enough to be part of a movement that created this moment in history. Whether the slogan is I Have A Dream, By Any Means Necessary Say it Loud, I am Black and I am Proud, Black Power Black is Beautiful Nation Time All Power to the People I Am Somebody, Free Huey, Free Angela, Free South Africa Keep Hope Alive Yes We Can or Our Vote is Our Voice, our God has not forsaken us. A Luta Continua!
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 11:54:32 +0000
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