An Open Letter to President-Elect Barack Obama

Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Tonight, you became the President-Elect of the United States of America. This is a great moment in our history, and I'm so grateful I've gotten the chance to live through it.

As I sat listening to your acceptance speech, my heart filled with pride and awe, and hope, and fear. My tears were streaming.

I'm proud of my country, for looking beyond the superficiality of your skin color, to elect the individual who we thought would do the best job for our future. I'm proud of you, for attempting to start your presidency on a note of inclusiveness. I'm proud of Senator McCain, for being gracious in defeat, and recognizing that his loss to you does not dishonor his service to our country, or the sacrifices he's made. I'm proud of my state, whose electoral votes went to the Democratic party for only the second time in the last ten elections.

I'm in awe of the people who elected you, and came out in droves to vote in this historic election. I'm proud of the men and women, Republican and Democrat, who have engaged in our political process, some for the first time, because they believe that our nation can be fixed, and is worth fighting for. I'm in awe of your composure, holding yourself together in the wake of family tragedy, ready to lead us into a new era.

And I hope. Oh, how I hope.

I hope you will fulfill your potential, and lead us into that new era. I hope your promise of bipartisanship is true, and that you'll do what is necessary to accomplish the goals that have been supported by your mandate. I hope the promise of fairness, of equity, of honor, that has been missing for so long will be restored. I hope you will lead us, not down the easy path, but down the right path, in order that my children, and their children, will once again have a voice, and a country to be proud of.

And I fear.

I fear for your safety, and the safety of your family. I fear your effectiveness will be compromised by the divide between red and blue. I fear the inevitable compromises will chip away at your vision, and turn you into a lesser version of yourself. I fear you will bow to political pressure, and forget where you come from.

And yet...and yet. I hope.

Congratulations, President-Elect Obama. You carry a heavy load for me and my fellow citizens. Hope is heavier than fear, and you carry the hope of a nation.

Stay strong.

2 comments:

Anne C. said...

Well said, Janiece. My sentiments precisely.

And thank you for serving yesterday!

Jerry Critter said...

Well said.