Hope Personified

posted on all progressives
Tuesday night Barack Obama was elected as the next President of the United States. I could and still can hardly believe it. It was a surreal moment that I will never forget. I had just walked through the door after having been at school when he was projected as the winner on the major networks. At that moment, as I sat, tears rolling down my face, I felt pride, and then something else I haven't felt in some time: Hope. Real, honest to goodness hope. As I watched him speak, the emotion on his face and written all over the crowd, I wept some more. It was an unforgettable speech, for an unforgettable night.

The thing about President-Elect Obama is that he makes us all feel as though we are a part of something bigger than ourselves, and for once, I truly believe we are. We are a part of history. We are a part of a movement of change that has the potential to not only change our country, but the world: a world that now shares our hope and our celebration. A man will be in the White House who knows pain and suffering, yet knows that it can be overcome. He is a man who by the very nature of his character has risen above adversity that has gone on longer than the United States of America has existed as a country. Barack Obama is an extraordinary man with a vision of hope and change that Americans have been hungry for. He is a man who I believe can make that vision come to life. I have never believed so strongly in any politician as I do in Barack Obama. He is the personification of Hope. Hope that will live in the White House and will prove to all that this generation is finished with politics as usual. We are finished with the idea that only some deserve greatness. And now as Barack goes on to face the challenges and the adversity facing our country now, we know that there is no easy fix. Yet, I do not doubt Barack Obama and his ability to inspire change and make it happen. After all, look at what he has already done. Here's to you President Obama and to Hope.