Yes We Can!

 By Cashana

©  2008

When I see him now, I visualize him in the Oval Office, looking and being very Presidential.  He epitomizes more than the look.  He exudes the strength, confidence and understanding on what is needed to move this country forward.

His aspirations are what dreams should be made of.  Little black boys can now have a role model who is of African-American dissent; who is intelligent and fearless.  No longer do they have to rely on the rappers as a barometer of what they can aspire to be.  His dreams are the dreams Martin Luther King Jr. expressed so long ago.  Our ancestors are smiling from heaven because he comes to the public humble, not elite, and with a sincerity to make a change in this country.  My aunt pumps her fist in the air when he stands proudly on the podium before he speaks.  She is 77 years old and she knows what this country needs and in her eyes it is him.

When he began his journey towards the presidency, he was not my first choice.  He wasn’t.  I had chosen to follow Hillary Clinton’s agenda.  However, the more she talked and the further the campaign went on I realized if she became President, we would be a country being run by Bill, and don’t get me wrong I loved me some Bill, but we didn’t need to go back, it was time to go forward.  Plus Bill made the statement about His running was like a fairytale.  I immediately started doing research on him and started to listen to what he was saying.  Here before me was a biracial man who was brought up in a single parent home who persevered to do better in his life.  Here was a man who has always related to the everyday man, no matter what race.  Here was a man who stands beside a strong black woman and his children get excited to see their father.  I see a black man being a father to his daughters and I smile and cry, because I wish I had those same things.  Since he can’t be my father, he can be the man who restores my faith in this country.

He is stronger than most because he is willing to come behind an 8 year travesty that has put this government in jeopardy.  Our retirements are dwindling because of this war which I thought was over.  He is willing to try to clean up the mess of an administration that has lied, cheated and frankly kicked us regular everyday folks in the ass.  He has a long road to travel to even make a dent in the countries’ issues.  But he is willing to try.  He has the drive, the passion and most of all the fortitude to sacrifice to make this country better and I will always be grateful to him for that. 

I believe in his policies on the issues that are important to me.  Now I ain’t real sure about this bailout crap, because I shouldn’t be paying for the greediness of the mortgage lenders and Wall Street.  However, he stands heads and shoulders above the rest in making me believe he cares about ME and my station in life.  That is why I donate to the campaign and that is why my personal blog has his picture on it.  I stand for him and up for him.  I am passionate about this man and not because he has African blood flowing through his veins.

I have witnessed the crab in the barrel folks denouncing his policies because he isn’t focusing on just black issues.  I am amazed at the men and women who think black folks problems are the only ones that count.  Wake up!  It is time to stop acting like the victims in the societal issues because of race.  Right now, at this moment, we who are considered middle and lower class are suffering and we come in all shades and to continue to segregate the issues means to never integrate the progress to all.  Frankly, I am sick of your rhetoric, show me some progress.  Isn’t that what the walks, hoses, dogs and jails were about during the Civil Rights era?

On my way to work today I got behind a woman in a pick up truck from Wetumpka and I noticed a sticker on her truck.  I thought my eyes were lying to me, because I know this woman was not driving around with a noose on the back of her truck.  So when we stopped at a light, I looked at the picture closely and it was of a noose.  My eyes immediately watered.  In 2008?  We are still doing this shit in 2008?  I was angry, mad, sadden and totally committed to what I plan to do on November 4^th.  If I wasn’t voting for his policies already, when I saw that noose on that white woman’s truck I would have just voted on for Barack because he was black.  Ignorant witch set my heart on fire, but she got my ass into gear on what truly is important in this race.  Barack embraces all people and not just black folks and that is one of his strongest convictions and no matter if I felt how the Jena 6 did this morning, I want this country to finally move towards inclusiveness that all people can live here in harmony.  It may be a dream, but it is one I am willing to vote for.  Barack the Vote!  Imani!