The body, the mind and the soul were all ready; but, the
night was long and the morning was painfully a distant
dream. It was around 2 AM, the night before the 2008
presidential election, when I tossed and hastily checked
the time to sadly realize that I still had 4 more hours
to wait before I could cast my vote.
I laid and reflected in the dark, dreaming of the
possibilities that await all of us, Americans and
non-Americans alike. Electing President Barack Hussein
Obama to reassert United States as the land of
opportunity-where people of all races and creed can
dream and reach their highest potentials.
Then came the day when I enthusiastically casted my
vote; the old-fashioned way, via paper ballot. The state
of Virginia was providing the electronic as well the
paper. As I voted on for President Obama, I reminded
myself that my vote, like the votes of millions
like-minded Americans, that I am voting for someone who
has the potential to become America's beacon of hope. A
beacon of hope that affords America the opportunity to
heal the wounds of the tormented, and reverse the rising
anti-Americanism and Islamophobia around the world.
Obama's victory is a broad-based embrace of the 1960s
civil rights movement when activists protested against
the practices that deprived African-Americans of equal
rights and opportunities. It is a revolution, a "non
violent revolution", as Congressman John Lewis of
Georgia, a longtime civil rights activist, articulated
so well. The foot soldiers of this were across section
of the youth- a segment of the population often seen as
a non-factor. It was their persistence and devotion to
change America that was contagious. Personally, I found
boost of inspiration in the relentless effort that my
nieces invested in mobilizing voters. I am optimistic of
the future that they and others like them become our
social and political activists; our leaders indeed.
Then, slowly came the night. The President Elect Barack
Obama took the stage in front of thousands of cheering
supporters in Chicago's Grant Park and millions around
the world glued to their TV sets, radios, computer
screens, mobile phones and other hand-held devices.
What followed were the inspirational words that America
and the world were yearning to hear. Words that will
ring through history: "If there is anyone out there who
still doubts that America is a place where all things
are 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."
This was the night when America has elected the least
likely candidate- a man whom all the odds worked
against. This was the night that America told the world
"Yes we can". This was the night when America kindled
hope back in the hearts of many of its citizens who felt
disenfranchised. The African Americans constrained by
the glass ceiling of power; the Latinos whose collective
voice was taken for granted; and the Muslims, natives
and naturalized, who felt alienated and ostracized for
the last eight years.
Reiterating his motto,
Obama reminded the multitude of people that, despite
their differences, they, as Americans and as human
beings, have a common fate. "Our story is singular, but
our destiny is shared," he said.
There is a hope of
revival and recovery. A hope to revive a financial
sector that is in turmoil and an economy that is in
shambles; a hope to end the senseless wars, reinforce
America's security and rectify a foreign policy that
failed, and failed miserably.
As an American, I believe rebuilding our economy and
enhancing our human capital is a must. By the same
token, I believe we are morally compelled to end the
senseless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that claimed
thousands of lives and wasted billions of American tax
payers' money.
Lastly, I believe
America can regain the respect and admiration of the
world by ending what became known as the Bush Doctrine--
a doctrine notoriously driven by hate, bigotry and
brutal force rather than diplomacy-- by ending the
so-called global war on terrorism, and the unchecked
support to brutal warlords and tyrants who partner with
us in sustaining that perpetual war scheme. In
doing so, President Obama will be sending a genuine
message of hope to the world that America is ready to
partner in upholding justice and ending oppression.
While in his own admission, as a human being he is bound
to make mistakes, I believe, as former Secretary of
State Colin Powell aptly described him, President Obama
is "a transformational figure" and the right leader to
restore America's image world-wide. He is a global
citizen whom people around the world could find one
connection or another to draw to him.
I hope that he will succeed and fulfill the cultivation
of the ideal know as "One Nation, Under God, with
Liberty and justice for all". I hope he aspires to
extend that promise to a world that is utterly
brutalized and dreadfully mortified.
I cannot help but muse
the day when my children, and other children in America,
look at portraits of the American presidents on walls in
schools across the country and take a second look at
number 44. How much inspiration will my children who are
black,
Muslim, East African, and the first generation Americans
find in that evidence of hope, persistence and
perseverance?
Indeed an era in American
history has ended. Like millions of American children,
my daughter and son can now dream that one day they too
can become the leaders of this great nation.
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Sadia Ali Aden is a peace activist and a writer whose
work has appeared in various publications
