So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen - Matt 20:16

I woke up feeling a little different today. I thought I'd feel different than yesterday but I'm still smiling. A little stronger, a little more powerful. I told my son last night "Do you realize what has happened? Do you realize you can now be ANYTHING you want in this world". A received a text that said "Rosa sat so Martin could walk, Martin walked so Barack could run and now Barack ran so we could fly". Our vote does in deed count. Nothing has ever felt more powerful than watching that man stand on a stage in front of the entire world and say "YES WE CAN"...Yes we did. I feel the tears of happiness again approaching. I looked back and Michelle and her face said "hhumpf, I knew it all the time, ya'll just didn't know it...now ya know". I will be forever grateful to Barack Obama for knocking down that door. It even felt good to watch The View yesterday and see Elizabeth Hasselback the "McCainiac" say, "he is our President and I will support him", with all sincerity in her eyes. I feel so damn good right now. I can't stop smiling. Look at what people can do in numbers...not colors....but numbers. O-bama! (la, la, la, la, la....we can change the world) -if you can't catch the tune is my previous post "We are the Ones

Barack's Rock

So, obviously, the key question coming in to the first night of the Democratic Convention was how Michelle Obama would do in her big speech. Michelle gave a beautifully crafted well delivered speech that hit all of the themes that will set the stage for Barack on Thursday night. She dispelled any thoughts that she is somehow radical or and "elitist". She came across exactly how she came across on "The View" and on the stump for Obama. She is intelligent and charasmatic and loves her family and her country.That came through loud and clear tonight. A home run for the Democrats.She said exactly what she needed to say, and that she delivered it extremely well. Some people would sound rehearsed giving a speech like this one, but Obama sounded authentic and utterly sincere. And, importantly, she seemed warm and likable. That's important for her, because -- like the wife of a certain previous Democratic candidate who was as strong a woman as the political spouse -- she's been the target of a lot of the venom directed at her husband, and could potentially have been a detriment to his campaign if she did not show the country that she is not the caricature that's been drawn of her. And, of course, by giving her family's story the way she did, she made herself and her husband seem more familiar, more like your next-door neighbor and less like the Other that some people believe Barack Obama to be.
I know some people who were skeptical of the idea of having the candidate's wife deliver such a high-profile speech, but I think it's now clear why the Obama campaign made this decision, and it certainly seems like history will judge it to be the right one. Now, will it have a real effect on the electorate? That I'm not ready to predict, and a lot will depend on whether she was preaching to the choir or whether people who could be swayed were watching. Forget about this worry about Hillary, forget about Hillary supporters drifting away. Because no woman who saw this speech could not, not vote for Barack Obama, unless they are simply lame, or selfish, or mean, or mired in greed. Such grace, dignity, energy and optimism! I will be so proud to have her as a First Lady.

Barack and Michelle - Black Love

Regardless as to who you vote for this year - you’ve got to give Obama props for not only showing the world how strong and intelligent Black men are, but for images like these. A strong Black couple- supporting each other to the fullest!For too many years we have been considered somewhat of a caricature to those watching from the outside. We’ve appeared materialistic, overly accessorized (bling), overly self medicated, overly sexed, violent and under-educated.
Thank you Obama and Michelle for putting your world on blast and letting folks know that there are many layers to us.

Michelle Obama...Powerful Beyond Measure

This week, I had the pleasure of conversation with three of my very intelligent, very enlightened girlfriends. It was really more of a friendly debate, two against two - two arguing that Senator Obama is electable and worthy of the presidency, and two arguing that the Hillary is the better candidate. I'm fairly certain I don't have to tell you which side I fell on (silly grin). The real fireworks started when one of the ladies remarked that one of the 'real' reasons she didn't want to see the Senator elected is because 'they gon' kill him, and I just couldn't stand to see that!' ggrrrr. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I've heard that from black women and a few men. Obviously, in light of our history in this country and what our ancestors had to endure at the hands of racists, their concerns are understandable; I've allowed myself to think the same thoughts at times, and undoubtedly, Michelle Obama has had the thought run through her mind a time or two. Ironically, the very next day after my conversation with my colleagues, I stumbled upon a video on you that says it better than I ever could - watch it for yourself at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZPm0jyBeEU. An amazing coincidence? Maybe not. Maybe the Lord God at work. Out of Michelle Obama's own mouth - she refuses to allow thoughts of losing her husband sway her from doing what she knows in her heart is best for the country. She gave her blessing to the Senator to throw his hat in the ring for the presidency because as she put it, she was 'tired of living in fear'. There is no better way to say it - my job is done here, except to say that we could and should learn a lot from this strong black woman. It is so easy for us in our lives in general to let fear prevent us from taking the steps to do more, be more, and give more. Michelle Obama is making the ultimate sacrifice of her time, her family's quality of life, and yes, her peace of mind, in light of the fact that there is a very real danger that some lunatic will try and hurt her husband. But as I watched her in this video, I saw visions of Coretta Scott-King, Winnie Mandella, and a host of other remarkable black women around the world who knew with out doubt, even if not without fear, that the cause to which their husbands were called was greater than that fear, greater than their hopes, and greater even than their simple dreams of a long life with their spouses. And because she has given so much to the cause of moving this nation in a better direction, it means that no matter what happens this next election year, Michelle Obama is my hero for life, and another shining example for the young black women in this nation to live by. So to my friends I say, suggesting that we should allow fear to prevent us from doing everything in our power to elect Senator Obama, is like saying that we would some how undo the entire civil rights movement itself if we could only get Martin Luther King Jr. back. The idea is ludicrous and counter-productive; I don't believe either man would even entertain the thought, neither would their wives. So as black women, it is time for us to beat down our fears like they owe us child support, and wrap ourselves in the hope of a better future for our families, our communities, and our nation. It's the only way that change will come, and isn't that what it's all about?