Endless Possibilities

When I was a little girl my grandma told me I could be anything I wanted to be. And I believed her. So when I was about 3 years-old I told her I wanted to be a professional cheerleader. I had seen some on television and it looked like fun.

Over the course of several years I changed what I wanted to be several times. I went from wanting to be a cheerleader, to a teacher, doctor, astronaut, actress, fashion designer, artist (which is funny because I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler), a lawyer, writer, a nurse and even president. Yeah I was all over the place.

It wasn’t until I got older that I understood that her statement wasn’t entirely true at the time. Granted when she grew up blacks didn’t have as many career options. She grew up in the 1930’s so unless you were cleaning someone’s house or cooking their food, you were limited. So when the civil rights movement took effect, she saw that there were so many more opportunities than she had growing up.

Even with all the advancements we made as a people, there were still some things that were beyond our reach. My mother used to tell me that being black was something that some people would hold against me. And because I am a woman, I would have to fight that much harder to get the same opportunities everyone else has.

Last year I saw something that I thought I would never see: A Woman and A Black Man running for the presidential seat. I was amazed. Not only were they running, but they were both doing well. They were crushing the competition. Then came time to announce who would take the nomination…A Black Man. Wow was I proud as a black person! Either way I would have been proud.

I take nothing away from the Hilary supporters, I understand their side. President Obama (it feels good to say that) was virtually unknown outside of Chicago (unless you follow politics in some form).

When November 4, 2008 came, I stayed glues to the television. Knowing that this was/is probably the most important elections I’ll ever witness in my lifetime. The Republicans tried to steal the female vote with Palin (who is the most stupid woman to run for an office). But in the end …well unless you’ve been living on Uranus for the last 3 months, you know what it is.

Today President Obama was inaugurated in as our 44th Commander and Chief. Today for black people we get the opportunity to see that if you dream big, you can achieve anything. The possibilities are endless. Today now more than any other time in my life my grandmother’s words are true. I can be anything. The little girl sitting in class daydreaming about being the first female president may actually obtain that goal (if Hilary doesn’t beat her to it). Who knows, she could even become the next Queen of England.

The only thing I feel sad about is that my grandparents aren’t here to see what they fought so hard for as many of you probably are.

Before I end this blog I have to thank a few people. First I need to thank all the Bush supporter. Secondly I need to thank Bush and his Cabinet. Had they not fucked up the country so much, people would not have understood the need for change as they did. They would not have been as willing to put down their differences and prejudices as they did to come together and make a change. The economy is the state it’s in now doesn’t just affect blacks or Latinos. For a change it affects everyone. HARD! So the normal methods of running a country aren’t working and putting another person in office with the same ideas and principles as before would have been disastrous.

So Dream Big…You Actually May Achieve That Dream.