November 5th, 2008
Gertrude Baines, the daughter of former slaves, cast her vote for Obama at 114 years of age!
Tuesday, November 3, 2008, will go down in history as the day America elected a Black man, Barak Obama, to the presidency of the United States. Trevin Franklin, a former Prairie View A&M student (a Historically Black University), and now a law student, sat with me at lunch yesterday unwilling to allow himself to hope too much that this nation would elect a Black man. He stated “I don’t want to hope too much in case he loses.” While this is a victory for democrats, it is also a victory for the nation—and one which rival John McCain was quick to note in his concession speech last evening. The nation moved beyond the years in which Black Americans could not even eat in the same restaurants as White Americans, and selected Barack Obama to lead our nation through one of its darkest hours. This sentiment was echoed across the nation, with many feeling that the great divide between White and Black has been breached—and healing begun.
Dr. McGriggs:
Dr. Lee McGriggs, a professor of Political Science and Law at Prairie View A & M University outside of Houston, reiterated this point, stating “the work of the 60s laid the ground for what we see today. The people who died did not give their lives in vein.” When asked if this election will help heal the great divide between Blacks and Whites, Dr. McGriggs stated it was “a big step.” He added: “The next step is economic.” Dr. McGriggs said he believes in Barack and Michelle Obama, and feels they will reach across the aisle to help solve the problems of healthcare, transportation and energy, security, and help keep people in their homes who are faced with foreclosure.
Perhaps the best example of hope came when Gertrude Baines cast her vote. Mrs Baines was born in Georgia on April 6th 1894, the oldest African American alive today at 114 years of age, and yesterday cast her vote for Barack Obama. Dr. McGriggs says that was one of the most wonderful stories he has heard of this election. He added that he always knew this day would come, and remembers when Robert Kennedy predicted that America would have its first Black president in about 40 years. “I think he got it right” Dr. McGriggs said with a smile in his voice.
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Posted by Tony Coveny
November 4th, 2008
Professor Joe White
Founding Partner, Shelly A. Sanford, is in the center of Cleveland, Ohio, on Election Day 2008. Working in a what is, admittedly, a Democratic stronghold, Shelly Sanford reports that excitement and optimism rule the day. She interviewed Joe White, a professor of international business and lifetime resident of East Cleveland. He had just voted, and expressed his optimism at how wonderful it is to be in America today. He reiterated that America “is a wonderful country despite all the ill that has transcended.” Dr. White also said: “It is wonderful to see the consciousness of people risen to the point where they examine a person on his merits. And if that is done collectively today, Obama will win.”
In another sign of guarded optimism, an African American veteran came out of the polling booth to circle the American flag before stopping to pray for our nation on Election Day 2008.
But the day was not without its detractors, as Republican activists repeatedly came to the polling station to complain of election abuses, citing the placement of pro-Obama materials within 50 yards of the polling station. The activists once brought local law enforcement officials, but no proof of any violation was visible. While some see this as posturing in the event of a close election or even a possible recount, others see this as simply a matter of a heightened sense of the reality that every vote counts in this election year.
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Posted by Tony Coveny
