Yesterday was a wonderful day. Historical, emotional, and full of hope. There was a feeling of jubilation on the UMaine campus that radiated throughout the day and into the night as we all soaked in the fact that we have a new president; one we can believe in and feel proud to support. It hasn't been that way in 8 years. 8 years ago I was 13 years old. It's been a long time coming.
I was so proud to call myself an American yesterday and know that I was a part of making history within this great nation. On that note, I think those that say that yesterday wasn't historical for the fact that Obama is black are ignorant. Of course, there are many other factors to why yesterday was a momentous occasion, but the fact that we FINALLY have made strides with racism in this country is something to be enormously proud of. It's okay to be proud of that, it's okay to focus on the fact that he is a black man with a black family. No, he isn't fully black, but have we ever had a president with any color in him at all? No, we haven't. Wake up, people...his race isn't what makes him, but it's what makes me proud of this country. It's okay to be proud of that and to focus on that because it's something we can finally feel good about. We are getting somewhere, America, and there's absolutely no reason to feel like we can't think about that. Anyway, I just had to get that out because I am so PROUD of this fact and PROUD to know that racism may actually get its ugly butt out the door. I stand fearlessly behind this leader and I can feel the love that this country has for him. I am enormously happy.
On another another note, my voice teacher let me skip my lesson to watch the inauguration. I wish I could say the same about my theory teacher, but no such luck. We got out of theory at 11:50 and then Kate, Emily, Cassie, and myself RAN and I mean RAN back to our friend, Karin's dorm to watch him be sworn in and to see his first speech as our new president. It was joyous. After he was sworn in you could hear the cheers up and down the halls of Penobscot Hall. The very few on this campus who weren't proud of Obama yesterday were silenced by the cheers of hope and happiness and pride. It was definitely something I'll remember forever.
Later, gators.
