Race for the Finish

Nearly 40 years ago my Grandmother was forced to confront her racism. My Aunt Kathy adopted a baby from Africa. He was a sweet brown bundle of love. My Grandmother couldn't deny the beauty in this child and in her way connected this beauty to being less "Black" because he was light skinned. My Grandmother died a few short years after she met her brown grandson. She had breast cancer. She was 46 years old.

When I voted today an ancient woman looked up my name in the photocopied book of registered voters. Her shaky, wrinkled hand searching, confused by my bizarre name. It's hyphened...Oh??... I could see her wondering, why on earth a young (yes, I believe she thought my gray haired self was young--that's how old she was) lady wouldn't find honor in taking her husband's name. And it occurred to me that this woman LIVED to see an African American become President of the USA. My Grandma and Barack's Grandma won't watch the polls tonight and learn that history has been made. That woman remembers segregation, lynching, freely spewed racial slurs...Oh, my God, she was so old she may have personally know a former slave.

Change. What are the real changes that we will face... How will the scales of racism be tipped? In what ways will my white brothers and sisters react? I heard a young lady at the mall say she didn't want to vote for Obama because he was just going to be assassinated in the next few months.

My Mother and Aunties have been community organizers working to battle racism, sexism, and classism for decades. My Mother is a Democrat...big time! It is her party and she is proud to have been part of bringing both a woman and a man as potential candidates for this election. She has completely supported her party. She has travelled to another swing state to speak to individuals gathering support and momentum for this moment. The precipice of change. It will be the Democrats who MUST break that glass ceiling. Those damn dumb Republicans ...they come in at the final hour and present their bi-atch. Their Woe-man. She is not a WOMAN.