i am continuing to receive some awesome emails, and so i am sharing them with you! -sdm
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On November 4 at 5:55 p.m. I called my son and told him that tomorrow when he wakes
up there will be a new president, a black president, Barack Obama. We talked about
history, the significance of the moment, and I also found out that he voted. I told
him that this meant that he could be anything that he wanted to be. I was ecstatic,
and then when I got off the phone I thought to myself “I hope that I did not lie to
him”. As a father, the one thing that you don’t want to do is disappoint your
child, especially if ya’ll don’t live in the same house.
That was November 4.
On November 5 at 6:58 in the morning I called m son again, but now assured and
confident to let him know that Barack Obama is now the President of the United
States of America, and then I began to cry. I cried when I asked him if he
remembered what I told him about this moment, and he said “that the election is
over”. I then reminded him that he could be anything that he wants to be, and to
never let anybody tell him that he can’t. Not understanding the impact of those
words he said “ok”.
I did not lie to him and he was not disappointed, because we voted for America’s
First African American President and we voted for change. And I don’t speak of
change from the political platform of Obama; I speak of change of the black male
psyche in America and to the hope of what our kids can be. For this last year the
black man who we have seen the most on our TV’s, in our magazines, on the internet,
and who has been the topic of conversations was Barack Obama. Our eyes have not been
captivated by an entertainer, an athlete, or somebody going to jail, but by an
African American President. No, his presidency does not change race relations, and
yes we still have so much to fight for, but we also have much more to hope for and
much more that we can be.
We have always been told and told our kids that can could be anything that they want
to be, even President. Now this hope is a reality, and now I can truthfully say YES
YOU CAN!
YES YOU CAN come from a single parent household and achieve greatness!
YES YOU CAN dream and achieve your dreams, no matter if no one has ever done what
you want to do!
YES YOU CAN be a black man and achieve far beyond ghetto expectations (graduate,
don’t go to jail, don’t get nobody pregnant)!
YES YOU CAN make a difference!
No matter how these next 4 years turn out, our children’s hope ruler has been
expanded and an affirmation instilled, that YES THEY CAN…
What do you think?
Copyright © 2008 Maco L. Faniel. All rights reserved.
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myspace.com/macofaniel <http://myspace.com/macofaniel>
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www.infiniteconceptions.com <http://www.infiniteconceptions.com>
Maco L. Faniel
Truth Communicator – Writer – Advocate – Consultant
