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::: A Change Has Come - Presidential Election ’08 :::

By ~ MacKinzey

Well, we’ve made it into the history books yet again! As of Tuesday, November 4, 2008, Barack Obama became our first African-American President-Elect. With only 270 electoral votes needed to secure the presidency, Barack secured his rightful place in history and in the White House with 338 votes. Aside from winning the “expected” states such as his home state of Illinois, Obama swept across the nation and secured many of the key states, most upsetting for the McCain campaign were the wins in of Pennsylvania (McCain’s “must have” state), Virginia, and Florida. The watch parties for both candidates held stark differences as well. The Chicago watch party at Grant Park in Obama’s home state of Illinois was celebratory and hopeful as results were constantly available for viewers while the Phoenix watch party in the Biltmore district in McCain’s state was much more somber and did not show the audience the status of the election as votes came in.

It’s a time to celebrate not only for African-American’s but in our country! Change has finally come and with Obama, it’ll be the change we need. Many older Americans, especially that of the African-American race have been waiting for this day to come for a long time. Martin Luther King Jr. preached about it, the NAACP worked towards it, young and old social activists alike rallied, worked, spoke, supported and marched and died for it- FINALLY it’s here! Our day has come! No longer can “we” as a people make excuses for not succeeding, for saying we can never amount to anything. Obama, our first (and I can’t stress this enough) African-American President summed it up best when, during his acceptance speech, he said:

“If there is anyone out there who doubts that America is a place where anything is possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.”

To further stress the importance of this feat, here are a few facts that emphasize the brevity of what Obama has achieved:

- August 1908: Springfield Race Riot occurred when George Richardson, a black man, was accused of raping a white woman and another black man, Joe James, was arrested for murder. After their capture, white residents burned many black homes and business belonging in African-Americans and lynched two black Springfield residents.

- February 12, 1909: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded.

- August 28, 1963: Martin Luther King Jr. gives the famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

- Voting Rights Act of 1965: guaranteed that no one may be denied the right to vote because of his/her race or color. Some parts of this act have had to be reauthorized (1970, 1975, 1980 and extended for 25 years in July 2007).

How is Obama tied to these events?

- February 10, 2007: Nearly 100 years after the Springfield Riots, Barack Obama announced his presidential campaign on the grounds of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois.

- January 20, 2009: 100 years after the formation of the NAACP, 46 years after Martin Luther King Jr. “had a dream”, and 44 years after the Voting Rights Act, Barack Obama will be sworn in as our first African-American President of the United States of America at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.

We as a people have come full circle; history is being made before our eyes. Stand up and rejoice A CHANGE HAS COME!