I’ve been trying since Friday night to figure out what to say about the event…seeing Barack Obama in person! How can I convey the sense of wonder…of optimism…of hope….the sense of great responsibility that he conveyed to we who were listening to him.
He spoke a little about himself…of his 3 years of community organizing in poverty stricken neighborhoods in Chicago, of going into civil rights practice after law school, and of eventually entering the political arena. But more than about himself, he spoke about us. Unlike most politicians, he didn’t talk so much about what he would do when elected, but about what we would do. He emphasized the need for grassroots efforts to bring about real change in our society. We all have to be involved if we want to truly change the direction in which our country is moving.
Senator Obama spoke very eloquently of visiting Selma and walking the bridge where protests were so violently put down on “Bloody Sunday”. The realization struck him that everything we are today, everything we have, is built on the shoulders of those who came before, those stalwart, mostly nameless people who one day decided that enough was enough and took a stand that helped to dramatically change the constructs of our society. We owe it to all of those who took a stand before not to give up the fight! Don’t let our hard won freedoms slip away from us out of fear! We all have a responsibility to continue to fight, not just for our civil rights, but for an end to all the injustices in our society.
We must fight for every child’s right to a decent education and the chance to go to college, regardless of income. We must fight for every person’s right not just to healthcare, but to good healthcare at a price that doesn’t bring them to the brink of bankruptcy. We must fight against an unjust war that is draining our economic resources and returning damaged men and women to our society without the support they need to recover from their physical and phsycological injuries that could plague them for a lifetime. There are so many ills in our society that we must continue to fight to overcome. But, as the Senator said, we can fight what is wrong in our country with what is right about our country! (paraphrased due to poor memory).
It was a great event and a great speech. I left with a renewed sense of vigor and excitement!
Then I got to spend several hours with two wonderful women on the way back from Seattle. Rosemary and Stephanie, if you’re reading this, thanks for keeping me company and helping pay for the gas! I had a great time with you two.
