k. so. . .we have a black president :)i am so excited to finally be proud of my president, to finally feel defensive if someone says something bad about him, and to trust that he is and will be doing the right things for this country. never since i've been able to vote have i been able to say that.
however, i do have some things that i want to get out:
- if you've read my previous entries, you know that i don't believe that barack being president means that any black person can be president--there was a special alignment of personal and political factors that made this moment.
- i don't think dr. king's dream has been realized--i think the swearing in and its proximity to the holiday was begging for people to draw that conclusion. . .but after all is said and done, there's still a lot of work to do
- i am a closet beyonce fan--this couple that i love being serenaded by beyonce for their first dance was almost more than i could bear. lol
- i didn't love either of michelle's inauguration day ensembles--i don't care how much her sleeves were lined in the toledo outifit, she was COLD and if you're going to sacrifice your warmth to be cute, it needs to be extra cute--i don't think this outfit was worth the sacrifice. i saw the sketches tracy reese submitted, besides the fact that her outfit was purple, it also incorporated a real coat--i vote for tracy. lol. the jason wu dress was okay. . .i'm not a big fan of 3-d things on dresses. it looked really pretty from a distance and the white was beautiful on her, but i was disappointed :( however, i was not disappointed in her hair--it was definitely on point. hey hair!
- i was sad that i didn't get tickets to any of the official balls or to the swearing in. anything else was just a party, i hated that people were charging so much for parties in the name of the inauguration as if spending $500 to get in was okay because obama was about to be president--the same promoters try to throw the same expensive parties whenever they know a whole bunch of black people will be in town. if you want to party go 'head, i'm not judging, but don't try to use obama to justify spending that amount of money in a recession--if he's not going to be there, it's not an 'obama party' and you're not really spending your money for him. lol. donate that to the dnc!
- along the same lines (and i'm going to step on some toes here--sorry, not judging, just stating my opinion) i am really happy that so many people went out on the mall to be part of the crowds bc the pictures were amazing. all those people in that freezing cold for my president. however, i don't like the idea of people thinking that just bc they were out there they were the ones who 'witnessed history' or were 'a part of history'. yes, the energy was amazing and i ventured out to be in it, but anyone who watched it 'witnessed history'--which was a lot of people around the world. if you were out there, especially without a ticket, you may or may not have had a good view of a jumbotron (which was just a tv outside. . .with limited sound, so you didn't even get to hear history), you might have been as far back as the washington monument--which might as well have been in a different city than the capitol building on that day, and you also had to stand out in the cold for hours, which means you probably missed the coverage of the rest of the historical day leading up to the ceremony. all this to say, that if you went out to be in the energy and just be a part of the crowd, that's great and that's what you could expect to do. but every time i see a shirt or something that says 'i witnessed history', i cringe a little--whether you watched it on an inside tv or an outside tv, you witnessed history, if you watched it outside, you didn't even get to hear the power in president obama's voice as he delivered his 'vows' or the way he sounded like he really meant what he was saying when he gave his speech (of course there's youtube, but that actual moment only happens once). for me, that would have lessened the experience. i realize this may not be true for everyone, so like i said, i'm glad people made the sacrifice and went out there if that's what they wanted to do. and yes, i will still tell my kids i was there--closer to the capitol building than most of the people who watched it outside ;)
- also (lol. i decided that last bullet point was getting kinda long), as far as 'being a part of history' goes, i was talking to one of my friends (q.d.) who was one of the people who helped make this a reality--she knocked on doors, several times over--in the cold, in different states, etc--i did my share and worked as an 'organizer' for the campaign in nc during primary season and donated money after primary season, but from my work i definitely respected the people like her, who really worked--for free-- to make this possible, bc the work wasn't glamorous and didn't show instant results. those people were part of history. i know that a lot of people did work like that and so there was definitely some overlap between the people who were out on the mall and the people who did the grassroots work--but i wonder about those people who say 'it was worth it to stand out in the cold to be a part of history and see him take the oath' or made it seem like it was so important for them to be out there, who never went out and campaigned, who were passive observers/supporters and now that it's time to celebrate want to talk about their 'sacrifice' of standing out in the cold to be part of the moment. in my opinion, if no one had gone out there on the mall, president obama would still be president obama, but if the grassroots volunteers hadn't been out in full force during the 2 years before, the same thing cannot be said. it is definitely food for thought that so many people can go out in the cold to celebrate but wouldn't go out in the warm to campaign. this moment didn't just come into being on january 20--it was a long time in the making and it's great that people voted for my president and went to watch him take the oath, but i've just been wondering what they were doing when others were working to make it possible for him to even be on the ballot. like, can you say you 'earned' your place in this history--not by standing outside waiting for him to get sworn in wearing the stuff you bought from the street vendors with his name on it, but by actually being a part of the movement? for qd and i, we felt like we were a part of history even before the morning of january 20--it was like we just wanted to enjoy the energy of the celebration and watch the fruits of our (and so many other people's) labor no more sacrifices necessary :) (lol. it was definitely cold walking up there tho!) i'm not saying this moment doesn't belong to all of us who hoped for it and are happy at its arrival, i'm just saying it would be even sweeter if all of us had put that same energy into ensuring that it came.
- on a lighter note, there were sooo many heartwarming moments among my first family--my heart melted when i saw malia taking pics of her dad or when she gave him her approval of his speech. sasha was cute as ever, the excitement overwhelmed her and she definitely fell asleep watching the parade, but i just love her. malia is michelle's mini-me--they have the same eyebrows and even the same little waddle when they walk. and sasha looks like barack did when he was a little chubby boy in hawaii. and they were the cutest little things in their custom made jcrew coats--they are such better role models than the bush girls, and they're only 7 and 10!! i could talk about their family alllll day. i know they are an inspiration to so many and i feel like i know them!
5 comments:
I will say that this win is especially personal to me (and thousands of other people as well) because I was one of the people who went door knocking in the cold, state to state, sometimes with friends, and sometimes by my damn self! I was one of those people who was so captivated by Obama's message of Change and hope that I donated money, talked to anyone I could in support of his candidacy, emailed my friends too much about what was happening on the campaign trail...I WAS OBSESSED! And now that Obama is our President I can honestly and proudly say that I witnessed history! For the people whose only active participation was going to the Inauguration (either actually being there or watching) or some party in DC to celebrate--I say that it is your loss. You will never be able to share with your kids the stories that I will. You will never be able to go in depth about what it really meant to people like me to witness history. But we thank you anyway for supporting the man behind the movement! YES WE DID!
-Black is the new President!
OK Ms. Stiletto. I hear your point about witnessing history, but take it easy. The people who were out on the mall just witnessed it in a different way that those who worked during the campaign. Being out on the mall with my parents and other like minded people to see a historic event is what made it special. That's the beauty of Obama's campaign and change movement. Everyone could play a part no matter how big or small.
I do agree that Obama's inauguration is not the end but a new beginning. It's time for everyone who claimed to support Obama to step up (or continue to step up) and make our communities and country better. He didn't run alone, and he won't be effective as President if the change & hope supports don't do our part.
Think this was long enough? Mercy. I thought you were blogging for the month of January with this post. lol
Seriously though, I think you made a few good points. Whenever people have the ability to view something in person whether it's the Super Bowl, a championship fight or March Madness they act as though they are the "real fans" and everyone else is a spectator. It's bunk, but why else would they pay those exorbitant ticket prices?
Also, how do you feel about the "Michelle should've worn a dress by an African-American designer argument?"
lol. it was pretty lengthy. thanks for the commitment. . .
lol @ the sports fans. . .but even they can gloat more than the obama 'spectators' at least it's not like their respective teams/players needed their active participation to win!
and i think michelle should have worn whatever she liked--fashion designers are one area where one can be color blind :) (we all know 'joe's jeans' isn't a black company, but they do respect our shape!) if she had gone with tracy reese like i suggested she would have been able to check the 'black designer' box, but i don't think she should feel obliged to. not to mention, she is poised to be a fashion icon, so she has *8* more years to showcase black designers!
That's true. The designers need to get over themselves. It isn't up to her to keep them in business. All I have to say is that if I make it to that level it's gonna be a Kenneth Cole inauguration. I may even give him his own holiday.
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