My President is Black...But What Does that Mean?

Last Tuesday was a historic day, and it is one that I will remember forever. As soon as I learned of Barack Obama's win in the election I ran outside yelling whatever came to my head. I ran into a couple of friends and we proceeded to act a fool. We loudly, and rowdily made our way to the AKA Sorority House, where a Election Watching Party was going on. As soon as we got there we were greeted with more screams, high fives and acts of foolishness. But as soon as President Obama (is it too early to call him that?!) walked out onto the stage to give his speech, the room went silent. We all knew we were watching history and did not want to miss a minute of it. As I listened to his speech the magnitude of the event really hit me, and I actually felt myself start to tear up slightly. At the same time, I realized how much pressure and expectation came with his position and i said a prayer for him. Once the speech was over, we took the foolishness up to a new level, running outside and jumping into upperclassmens' cars. For the next 20 minutes we drove around campus, blaring songs like "My President is Black" by Young Jeezy and just letting our emotions take us over. We eventually congregated in a parking lot where we continued in our celebration, dancing, taking pictures and just having a good time. It was one of the best nights of my life, and I will never forget it. It genuinely felt like Christmas had come early. My president was black, but what does that really mean?

Are the problems of all blacks now over? Will Obama get all of us off the streets and into schools?
The answer to these questions is obviously No.

The truth of the matter is, Barack is not running the United States of Black people, he is running one of the most diverse countries in the world. He has to do what is best for the country as a whole and African Americans must remember this. I am sure he will make a huge effort to aid the people of his race, but he has many other issues he has to work on. Also, with the damage done by the previous administration, our new president will have a lot of reconstruction work to do before he can even think about implementing his own ideas. This is why we as people (especially African Americans) must be patient with President Obama and not jump ship too early.

With this said, his election is a historic day and the importance is not lost on me. Though I have been blessed to not have to deal with racism on a large scale, I know both my father and grandparents did for much of their lives. I remember my dad telling me about how in high school he had once tutored a guy in a class only to find that the kid he tutored got a better grade than him on all the tests. He always told me that as an African American in his time you had to work twice as hard as the white kids just to get the same grade. The fact that he was able to overcome this and be the succesful doctor he is today is a great story right along with Barack Obama.

It is such a blessing that my first election is such a important and succesful one that affects me personally. The excuse that a black man can not be succesful will no longer fly. Racism still exists in this country but I can confidently say that as long as I work hard and continue to push for the best I will come out okay. I really hope that Barack Obama's election does not only improve the country but that it inspires a race to new levels of success that it has never had before. For once, we as young black men have a prominent black role model to look up to who is not a rapper or athlete. I of course have always had my father to look up to, but many are not as fortunate as me.

In all, I wish Barack Obama the best of luck in office and truly hope and believe he improves the country we live in. I am proud to be an American and I salute our country for making the right choice!

"My President is Black" Music Video by Young Jeezy (Explicit***)-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZAuY4ULNcE