On Tuesday we as a nation made history by electing Barack Obama as the first black president of the United States. As the jubilant crowds across the country — including thousands of students on State Street — demonstrated, Obama has inspired new hope in young people and restored our faith in the American Dream. Never before in our lifetime have we seen such a transformational leader who challenges us to look beyond the status quo and take responsibility for the future of our country.
Now it is up to us to harness the excitement and joy we felt on Tuesday night and remake our country how it ought to be, rather than being constrained by what it has been in the past.
The enormity of Obama’s election will only become more apparent as we approach Inauguration Day 2009. Over 145 years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, 138 years after the 15th Amendment guaranteed the right for black Americans to vote and 44 years after President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, America has finally put rhetoric into reality and shattered stereotypes by making Obama the leader of the free world.
As we celebrate this historic moment, we must remember our victory rests on the work of generations that have come before us. This win could not have been possible without the sacrifices and dreams of countless activists, students and communities who when faced with violence, hatred and apathy, refused to give up hope that their work would result in a better America for generations to come.
Historical implications aside, Obama is an engaging leader who will put petty politics aside and strive for unity, echoing our nation’s cry for an end to divisive politics. Despite his landslide victory and solid Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress, Obama reminds us it is not the time to punish the hurting Republican Party. The challenges are too great for us to be vindictive.
We must work together as a nation to heal and focus on the enormous challenges ahead. As Obama said in his victory speech Tuesday night in Chicago, he will extend a hand to all Americans, not only those who voted for him.
“To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn — I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices; I need your help, and I will be your president too,” Obama said.
We must also remember this election was not just about Obama. The race was about us as a people, and Election Day was only the beginning. It is up to us to enact the change we hope for and aspire to achieve.
Although education reform, universal access to health care and economic recovery will not come quickly or easily, we will have an intelligent and truthful president who will be honest with the American people about present and future challenges.
On Tuesday, the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus wards voted over 70 percent for Obama. Later that night thousands poured into the streets in spontaneous celebration. Wednesday morning brought an air of excitement and anticipation for our future as the American people saw a new set of possibilities. The election of Obama is the first step to real change, but the most challenging part lies ahead. We cannot expect to change the world right away. But if we remain humble, hard working, responsible and innovative, there isn’t anything the American people can’t do together.
Now is the time to extend the favorite creed of the Obama campaign to improving the future of our nation. Yes,we Can.
Claire Rydell ([email protected]) and Lavilla Capener ([email protected]) are the chair and communications director of College Democrats of Madison, respectively.