2008 is almost over and America has finally decided: Obama will [and can, thank gosh] be our President.

President-elect if you wanna be all correct about it.

And I still can’t understand why people are fussing over the fact that he’s black. There are folks who say that a black man can’t run this country properly and who can blame them? They’re way too focused on their racially charged obsessions to see past his skin pigmentation. Yes, the far-rights and not so far-rights want to focus on his skin rather than his vast intellect and problem solving skills [who’s hopin’ for another FDR?].

But that’s to be expected from people who are so high strung and controlling that they don’t know how to “lose” gracefully and instead want to ruin this moment for us minorities. I said minorities, not African Americans. And I do so purposely.

The election of President-elect Obama should mark a new milestone for America as a whole, not just because you are black.

Take for instance my bus stop companion that I met when I first moved back to Oakland last month. “Johnny” and I were talking about this phenomenon by the name of Obama and at first the conversation wasn’t much to sniff at. Just a few praises to Obama and Biden and all that they’ve done and been through to get where they are when suddenly he tells me that I don’t have to sugarcoat my feelings for Obama. He told me to quit bullshitting and tell the truth, that I just voted for Obama because he was the only choice other than the crazy white guy.

Nerve of all nerves!

As soon as I got home I asked my step-pop to tell me what he thought about the Asians and Hispanics and everyone else that voted for Obama. I wanted to know if he felt the same way as my friend “Johnny.” To sum it all up, he does feel somewhat the same but he says that he knows I voted from the heart.

I don’t get it, am I not allowed to support Obama? Am I not allowed to hope alongside my fellow Americans?

My friend says that I’m being insensitive to the fight that African-Americans have went through to get to this point. But I don’t see my inability to focus on race as being insensitive, I see it as hope.

Hope that maybe one day we can elect a President without focusing on his/hers race, sexual orientation or hair color. I want to live in a country where it doesn’t matter that I am brown or you’re white or he’s black.

I thought that the election of Mr.Barack Obama would mean something bigger than this.

I thought that this day would mean unity and peace between races. I thought that it would mean my Filipino mother could walk freely with her African-American husband without the racially charged remarks and insults. I thought it would mean that my bi-racial children could grow up without anyone saying, “So what are they? White or Filipino?” I thought it would mean that we could be human without living by the color of our skin.

I thought that this would mean change.
—Janet Lagto