Obama's Nomination: A Conversation With My Mother

[writes3000]

My mother is a retired teacher. She grew up in Alabama and moved to small town NY just after college. She's a wonderful, smart, dedicated, funny woman. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a past student of hers come up to her and thank her for being a great influence on them. I'm incredibly lucky to have her as my mother.

For months now, my mother and I have had a weekly conversation going about the Presidential campaign. I remember when she asked me if I had heard anything about this guy, Barack Obama. I remember when she told me she had made contact with a cousin in Chicago to get her opinion about Barack. I remember how excited she was when Obama won the Iowa caucus. That was the night she got on board the Obama train.

We've had some great conversations along the way. Usually light. Usually with some laughter - especially when we talk about how her friends feel. Her friends are a diverse group whose opinions span the political spectrum.

But when I called her today, today was different.

We said our hellos and I asked her how she was doing. She said, "I am walking on air. I am just so excited, so excited. I just can't believe it." My mother said she couldn't sleep at all last night. Her mind was flooded with memories. Memories of growing up in South as a black child in the 50's and 60's. "I remember the school bus refusing to pick us up because we were black," she said. "I remember the threats and the water hoses." "I remember the marches. I remember it all."

"It wasn't that long ago and now this.....I'm just so excited. I'm walking on air."

This conversation brought tears to my eyes.

I'm just so excited, America. I'm just so excited.

[helderheid]

1. You brought tears to my eyes.

[roguevalley]

25. hug your mom for me. we grew up in Jim Crow. I will never forget

the horror of it. I am so happy for you both.

[faithfulcitizen]

38. me too.

[WeDidIt]

2. K & R & tears in my eyes.

[SeattleGirl]

3. Your story gave me goosebumps.

I recall those years well, but as a white, not a black person.

I know I am very excited about Obama's nomination, but I know that for people like your mom, it's got to be a totally amazing thing to see.

[lisa58]

4. I got tears....

...I'm going to try to read your post to my husband (as I do when there is a great post) and I know I'm gonna choke.

Love to your mother - we're thrilled too!

Update: Read your post to my husband and now the tears are streaming down.

[writes3000]

11. It was clear to me that my mother never really truly believed that this country saw her as equal

Because of her race.

And this is making her believe differently.

I wish that the elder women in this country that have those same kind of doubts regarding this country and gender could feel this same kind of catharsis. I really do.

[lisa58]

13. I know how you feel...

...I wish someone (I don't have the talent) would write an essay or op/ed or something about how it was these great women who raised questions about gender and fought their way through the discrimination that are the same women who raised children, who now have children that are old enough to vote who don't see gender, race, sexual preference, etc., etc. as an obstacle.

These women need to be congratulated - they lead the charge.

[Mimosa]

5. Thank you Writes3000

K&R.

[keep_it_real]

6. Yea, your post was pulling on my tear ducks also

[petersjo02]

7. How wonderful!

The younger generation won't remember the violence and death in the 50s and 60s. Thanks to Martin, Medgar, and all those who fought and gave their lives so that we could get here today. Bush is living proof that a dumb guy is not the best choice to run our country simply because he's white.

[chieftain]

8. This old white man is excited, too. n/t

[BlooInBloo]

20. :)

[Enthusiast]

45. +1 on the old white man.

If you consider 55 old that is. I couldn't happier. Now if we could only stop or counter these lies about Barack's character. We should beat McCain like a drum.

[chieftain]

65. Nah 55 is the new 35. I knew I had slipped over the line to being

old when the young women behind the counter at McDonalds offered me the senior discount without my asking for it. Sigh.

[Bread and Circus]

9. That's awesome. I like to think that there's a lot of teenagers of all colors out there that see

Obama and say "anything is possible, there is no limit".

[ecstatic]

10. Thanks for sharing. I'm hearing a lot of people say they couldn't sleep last night

My day was ruined by traveling, etc., so unfortunately I missed most of yesterday's events & coverage.

[Jazzgirl]

12. Woo!!! I got quite emotional when I read your OP writes3000.

I remember the late 50's and of course, the 60's. I remember the water fountains in the south marked colored and white. I remember all of that. This is quite memorable. I am so proud of this time. Even if it had been a woman I would be proud but the fact that it is an intelligent and wonderful person that represents everyone is a dream I never thought I would see in my lifetime. Go Obama!!! :dem: :kick: :grouphug:

[DianaForRussFeingold]

14. Give your mom a big hug for me...

Tears running down my cheeks-- Thank you for that great story--Puts everything into perspective! :hug:


--change going to come (Sam Cook) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qyWIGu5Ryk

[wellstone dem]

15. thanks for this post, it made me glad

that on our trip back from seeing Senator Obama in St. Paul, that my sister and I talked with her daughter (15) about why Senator Obama's race was important. We talked about the separate water fountains and the segregated schools and the lunch counters. In one way it is good that some members of the younger generation don't see the race as a significant issue, but it is important that we all remember our history and understand the painful nature of progress.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. THanks this is now a fight for the future of the country

and thank your mother too

[Rainbowreflect]

17. I have been hearing happy stories today. They make me cry!

[shireen]

18. tell your mom

she totally rocks!
:yourock:


Last year, someone from another country asked me what i thought of Obama. Ever the cynic, I told her that America was not ready for a black president.

I am absolutely delighted to be so wrong about this!!! Obama's campaign, winning the nomination, has given me so much hope for the future.

[sandnsea]

19. There was a story on CNN

about a woman whose mother had moved them to Cleveland. She said whenever they went to a new restaurant, her mother would always ask whether colored folks could eat there. She wished her mother was still here to see this day.

I am really proud of my country today.

[Phx_Dem]

67. I heard that too on CNN

I keep telling people that story because it's so incredible. Until the day she died that woman wasn't sure if she could eat in a restaurant, because that is the world she grew up in. Jesus.

I'm in my 40s and I have never felt more proud of this country.

[mzmolly]

21. That's very sweet writes3000.

It's such a wonderful moment in history.

[Th1onein]

22. God bless you and your mother. I am so proud of my party.

I am so proud of the Democrats. So very proud to be an American and an Obama supporter. We made history. And it is good.

[shomino]

23. K&R... touching post.

[Robeson]

24. Let her know this middle aged white guy is walking with her...

...:hug:

[LordJFT]

26. Sounds kind of like my conversation with my grandma

She's white, but she grew up during segregation and I remember my dad saying she cried when Martin Luther Kind was shot. She's thrilled with the idea that a black man was nominated and didn't think it would happen in her lifetime.

[watrwefitinfor]

27. I was on one of those school buses.

Growing up white in rural South Carolina in the '50s, I remember so vividly when my school bus would pass black children trudging along the sandy road, kicking up the hot dust with their bare feet, on their way to THEIR school - less than a mile from the white school I went to. I remember sitting and staring out the bus window at those other children - some of them I had played with before school started - KNOWING how unfair it was, aching for them, and trying to understand why.

I didn't even question so much then why my school was a fine brick building, and theirs was a one-room unpainted wooden building with no running water. Or why the bus carried me right past the wooden school that was so near my house, but the black kids walked for miles, many walking right past the brick school, on the way to theirs. Only later did I come to understand all that was about. At the time, it was just watching black kids marching to school in their bare feet while the white kids were whisked along in their bus. And I was ashamed somehow to be participating in that.

I also tried to understand why my white classmates couldn't even see the question, let alone acknowledge the horror. I was a lonely child. To be white and to question in the south was to be branded a N-Lover. I later came to take great pride in the epithet, but for a ten year old it was hard to deal with.

--------------------

So, from the other side of that school bus window pane, please tell your mother I salute her, and honor her, and send her hugs. We have both come so very far. And we both take pride in calling Obama our own. :-) through my tears.

Wat

[Kukesa]

28. More tears. Thanks for the touching post. n/t

[livingmadness]

29. And I salute you Wat

A beautiful post. Though not White, I fully comprehend the struggle you talk of - being white and questioning in the south. It may not have been a life-threatening offense, as it was for so many black folks, but it was certainly an alienating one - itself a kind of 'death' sentence (without wishing to minimize the difference). You gave me tears - bless you.

[watrwefitinfor]

55. Thank you. A little understanding can mean so much.

I feel for you, so far from home at this exciting time. :hi:

Wat

[krkaufman]

33. And the question remains ....

Why are poor children in poor neighborhoods saddled with inadequate schools simply because the property taxes in their neighborhoods don't pull-in as much revenue?

Let's not kid ourselves. We've made *some* progress, but systemic problems still exist.

[writes3000]

40. Wow, thank you for this post. It breaks my heart knowing my mom was one of those kids...

But it also lifts me up to know that growing inside you, and kids like you, were the seeds of change.

Thanks again.

[watrwefitinfor]

54. No, thank you for YOUR incredibly moving post.

It was almost like your mother was reaching out to me across the miles and years...

And here's to our ability to talk about these things.
:toast:

And to our next president: BARACK OBAMA. Who neither walked down the dirt road, nor sat in the bus, yet understands and brings us together. Wow.

Wat

[NatBurner]

41. i need to stop reading these posts

but i can't

so many words come to mind, but i'll settle for a simple "thank you"

[Catherina]

56. !

:cry: beautiful. thank you

[watrwefitinfor]

62. I have been watching you since you came aboard, Catherina.

Your GDP posts have often moved me. I find your passion and verbal abilities exhilarating. You have often spoken for me. (I'm usually kinda quiet.) Thank you.

That's one of my favorite pics of Michelle.

Wat

[Catherina]

63. I'm blushing and honored

I don't know what to say except a very humble thank you. Thank you watrwefitinfor :hug:

[BeyondGeography]

30. Beautiful

:kick:

[Colobo]

31. I'm elated... I feel like it's a new day.

[hisownpetard]

46. It IS a new day, and a bright one at that!

Isn't it wonderful?:hi:

[myrna minx]

32. The totality of his nominations has not truly sunk in for me yet.

I cried tears of joy on Tuesday, but I must admit, I still haven't fully realized the true historical significance yet. I'm excited for the United States, for us, but when the true significance really hits me, I;m going to need a whole box of tissues, because this is such a dream realized. I have heard that he will received the nomination on the 40th anniversary of the I Have A Dream speech, and that, is just awe inspiring. :hug:

[Chulanowa]

34. Sometimes it's easy to forget...

Just how far we've really come, and how far we have left to go. People like myself, who came around in the late 70's and beyond... I'm afraid that while on a cerebral level we can appreciate the difference between the "then" of segregation, and the "now" of a black man being the front runner for the oval office... We'll just never be able to appreciate the difference like those fine people who were there during "then"

Give your mother a big hug and a thank you for me, will ya? :)

[writes3000]

43. I promise to do exactly that. n/t

[sybylla]

49. I'm feeling that, too.

I'm one of those who grew up in the 70's and though the memories of the racial trouble and assassinations of the 60's were still fresh for so many people, I never really lived that. I can empathize, but I can imagine it's an entirely different experience for those who've lived it.

It's why I get so frustrated by the self-centeredness of the "it's Hillary's turn" crowd. This is as equally important a moment as nominating our first woman. This act has meaning for so many people. I would have loved to see either of them win and would have taken pride in either accomplishment.

And yet, the trolls on my ignore list (and it's a long one) apparently couldn't care less as none of them have bothered to show up here to acknowledge it. Now that's sad.

[yellerpup]

35. "This conversation brought tears to my eyes."

Me, too. Me too. :cry: Love to your Mom! :hug:

[bdamomma]

36. I'm excited as well.

it will be a tough road but we all have to get this man elected no matter what.

[TexasObserver]

37. Great story! And no doubt very typical of the experience of many.

[bunkerbuster1]

39. "I'm just so excited, America. I'm just so excited."

You, your mom, and me too.

Thanks for this.

[DrZeeLit]

42. A true Glory, Glory Hallelujah moment. My best to your mother == from fellow teacher!

[jwirr]

44. Just after the speech on Tuesday I called my sister - All I said was

we will never have to sing We Shall Overcome again. Now I realize that there is much to do but I was reminding her of the fight to get here from there. I thank God for this reminder that we have come a long way - even if I am white. My sister is married to a black man and their children and like your mother.

[graywarrior]

47. That is a great story....thanks so much for posting it here.

I have a feeling many people are feeling the same way

[katerinasmommy]

48. I'm White

And I still feel a sense of great joy when I think that FINALLY FINALLY we have come this far in our country. In fact, I've played the video of him saying in St. Paul that he is the nominee over and over again and I still get chills and tears. I think that when he is elected it will truly be "morning in America"

My mother told me that he will accept the nomination in Denver on the anniversary of the "I have a dream" speech. Rev. King will be looking down and smiling....

[writes3000]

50. That day in Denver will be amazing. Just incredible. n/t

[forintegrity]

51. This "hard-working" white woman is also so excited!

This is an exciting time in American history! We have come so very far!

Your story brought tears and goose bumps!

This country needs Obama so desperately!

And already...no more lobbyist money to the DNC! The dark cloud is beginning to lift...

GOBAMA!!! And everyone else...let's ALL work hard and make sure we see this all the way to the White House!

[Politicub]

52. That brought tears to my eyes as well!

How fantastic that your mother gets to experience this most unique of moments, and how fortunate we all are to be witnessing such important history unfolding. It feels like we're truly turning a corner in America.

Obama is a man for the times! I'm so enthusiastic with supporting him and this movement!

And yes, I supported Hillary through the primary season, and am proud of her accomplishments as a woman as well. She blazed a trail with her strength, drive and tenacity, which should remove any doubt about a woman being our president one day. But there was never any question that I would support our party's nominee.

It's a great day to be a dem.

:hug:

[writes3000]

61. I 100% agree with your comments about what Hillary Clinton's run has meant.

As I said upthread, I hope there are women across the country who are feeling this same sort of barrier breaking.

[Barack_America]

53. *sigh* Now I'm walking on air.

:hug:

Your story just gave me butterflies.

[ampad]

Sometimes we forget

What our parents and our grandparent went through during those days. Thanks for reminding us just how far we have come. K/R

[ampad]

57. Sometimes we forget

What our parents and our grandparent went through during those days. Thanks for reminding us just how far we have come. K/R

[Poppa]

58. Obama's nomination

What a wonderful story. I am an older white male retired teacher who grew up in the late 1950's & early 60's in a segregated society. As someone who witnessed the inherent evils of that segregated society , I firmly believe that Obama's nomination is absolutely the best thing to happen politically in the US since the civil rights legislation in the early 1960's under LBJ and a Democratic Congress. After a complete absence of executive leadership from Bush and his administration in the area of civil rights, Obama's nomination brings the promise of Dr. King's vision and hope for the US more sharply into focus and into reality.

[Catherina]

59. Thanks for sharing this story. This is a very emotional time for so many

It's beautiful.

[supernova]

60. Thanks for sharing

:hug:

Your mom is awesome. :D

[tledford]

64. White Southerner here...

I cannot ever truly understand how your mother feels, because I'm white and the experience has been (obviously) utterly different.

But I can tell you, as a 52-years-old white man who has lived in North Carolina all his life, I can dimly remember, at the age of five or six, seeing the last drinking fountain signs that said "White" and "Colored." And *I'm* walking on air, too.

I never, ever thought or even dreamt that I would see this in my lifetime, and it gives me so much hope that I can't even describe it.

[Mme. Defarge]

66. THIS TIME ...

we will not be denied. I weep for all of our great martyrs -- Abraham, John, Martin, Malcolm, Bobby.

But this time, THIS TIME!!! Even idealists deserve their day.

[CitizenLeft]

68. you made me cry too.

God bless your Mom, and give her a hug from me, a perfect stranger.

[fujiyama]

69. It's really something

Just a few months ago I started reading an amazing biography of Abraham Lincoln and it really does seem to me that race has been at the forefront of our national problems - from the scourge of slavery to the fundamental unfairness of segregation to the disparities that exist today, this country has for a large part, kept a large percentage of its population away from its founding ideals. I think we can say that this party - and this nation have come a long way. No, Obama being elected won't solve racism or racial disparities, but it will prove to millions around the world that this country is continuously making good on its pledge to "find a more perfect union". More importantly is that Obama himself has the vision of a brighter future and expresses it in ways few politicians do - inspiring millions at home and abroad.

[AtomicKitten]

70. Beautiful! K&R!!!

Everybody I know - even people I would never in a million years expect it from - back Barack, whole-heartedly, no, passionately. He has awoken a tidal wave of engagement and enthusiasm.

Thanks for sharing your poignant story. Gives me goosebumps.

YES*WE*CAN

:patriot:
:party:

[charlie]

71. Long time coming

Hug your Mom and steel yourselves, this could be an ugly summer.