Filed under: Current Events, Election 2008, Josh, Politics, Race | Tags: Election, Hope, Obama
When I was roughly 9 years old, i proudly declared to my older sister that after mulling it over in my head for the past decade or so, I had finally decided what I wanted to “be” when I grew up- President of the United States. It seemed like a rather glamorous position to me at the time, what with the king-like authority, cool-shaped office, 24-hour on-call posse of armed guards in black suits, etc. and besides that, it just seemed way cooler than being a paleontologist (my former dream career). Yet still, despite the amount of time, energy, and critical thought I’d put into my newfound aspiration, I was met not with praise from my eldest sibling, but rather discouragement. On the evening of my ever-so-eloquent verbal declaration of my intention to pursue the position of Commander-In-Chief, with all the careful delicacy of a falling anvil, my sister unflinchingly looked me in the eyes, and told me that no Black man would ever become President. No shot. Not a chance. Ever.
What a difference 10 years makes.
