MY PRESIDENT IS BLACK

SO AS I SIT IN AWW AT THE HISTORY THAT HAS BEEN MADE IN WHAT I AM PROUD TO SAY MY COUNTRY..MY HEAD IS OVERFLOWING WITH THOUGHTS...THOUGHTS OF HAPPINESS...SUCCESS..JOY...AND EVEN PAIN..MY FIRST REACTION TO THE NEWS OF PRESIDENT ELECT BARACK OBAMA WAS TO SCREAM AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS OVERJOYED TO SAY THE LEAST...AS I CONTINUED TO WATCH THE NEWSCASTS AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS ALL OVER I BEGAN TO CRY...I CRIED TEARS OF JOY AND TEARS OF PAIN..MY TEARS OF JOY CAME FROM THE PART OF MY HEART THAT WAS HUMBLED...THAT THE DREAM MY ANCESTORS HAD WAS FINALLY HERE....I CRIED TEARS OF JOY THAT I FINALLY FELT A SPECIAL CONNECTION WITH THE LEADER OF THE COUNTRY I CALL MY HOME..NOT BECAUSE I KNOW HIM PERSONALLY BECAUSE I DONT..BUT BECAUSE HE TOO HAS DEALT WITH SOME OF THE SAME STRUGGLES THAT I HAVE ENDURED AND ARE STILL ENDURING....BUT IN THE MIDST OF MY TEARS OF JOY THERE WERE THOSE FEELINGS OF PAIN AND DISGUST....WHY U MIGH TASK...WELL LET ME TELL YOU......AS I SAT AND WATCHED THE ELECTION COVERAGE THE ANCHOR DISCUSSED HOW BIG OF A FACTOR RACE AND AGE WAS IN THE ELECTION..CLEARLY WITH 96% OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN VOTE AND 78% OF THE 18-25 AGE GROUP VOTE..IT WAS CLEARLY A FACTOR...THIS PAINED ME...ALTHOUGH I WAS ELATED TO SEE THE NUMBER OF AFRICAN AMERICANS AS WELL AS YOUNG ADULTS GET OUT AND EXCERCISE THEIR RIGHT..I BEGAN TO QUESTION..WHY DID U REALLY VOTE..WHY NOW DID U DECIDE TO POP OUT OF THE WOODWORKS AND VOTE...WAS IT ONLY BECAUSE BET AND MTV SAID IT WAS THE COOL THING TO DO...WAS IT BECAUSE MAGAZINES ENDORSED A PRESIDENTIAL CANIDATE FOR THE FIRS TTIME EVER...WAS IT BECAUSE CELEBS U ADMIRE ENDORSED THE OBAMA 08 CAMPAIGN..OR WAS IT SIMPLY BECAUSE HE'S A MAN OF COLOR TO SAY THE LEAST..ALTHOUGH ALL OF THESE TACTICS WERE A GREAT CAMPAIGN TOOL AND CLEARLY GOT THE JOB DONE...BUT LETS THINK WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN THIS EAGER TO VOTE HAD HE NOT BEEN BLACK..HAD BET/MTV NOT MADE SUCH A BIG DEAL...THIS PAINS ME TO THINK THAT THE MAJORITY WHO VOTED SOLEY ON THESE REASON WOULD NOT HAVE VOTED HAD ALL OF THIS NOT HAPPENED....I MEAN OBAMA IS NOT THE FIRST MAN OF COLOR TO PUT HISSELF IN A POSITION TO MAKE A CHANGE....WHAT ABOUT THOSE THAT PAVED THE WAY FOR HIM TO EVEN HAVE THIS RIGHT...REALLY LETS THINK 40 YEARS AGO THERE WERE VOTER RESTRICTION LAWS THAT PROHIBITED US TO VOTE...SO MY QUESTION IS WHY WASNT THE BLACK COMMUNITY SO EAGER TO VOTE AS SOON AS THOSE RESTRICTIONS WERE REMOVED...??..AND I UNDERSTAND THAT SOME SEE OBAMA AS THE MODERN DAY HERO..I DEFINANTLY AGREE BUT WE MUST REALIZE THAT IF WE WOULD STOP CONFORMING OURSELVES TO SOCIETYS STEREOTYPES AND TOOK THE TIME TO SELF MOTIVATE OURSELVES WE COULD HAVE VERY WELL RALLIED THIS CHANGE PRIOR TO 2008....THIS JUST SHOWS ME THE LACK OF SELF MOTIVATION THAT MANY OF US AFRICAN AMERICANS HAVE..THIS IS A PAIN TO MY HEART BECAUSE WE NOT ONLY AS INDIVIDUALS BUT WE AS A PEOPLE ARE A CHOSEN GENERATION..A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD..WE ARE POWERFUL AND ARE NOT LIVING UP TO OUR POTENTIAL( MYSELF INCLUDED)..ALTHOUGH SOME OF US ARE USING OBAMA AS AN INSPIRATION AS A MOTIVATOR THERE ARE STILL THOSE WHO ARE SHALLOW AND DONT REALIZE THE HISTORY THAT HAS BEEN MADE...IVE REALIZED THIS BY SOME OF THE IGNORANT FORWARDES TEXT MESSAGES THA T I HAVE RECEIVED AND THE MANYPOSTS IVE SEEN POSTED ON VARIOUS WEBSITES....JUST BECAUSE THERES A AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY IN THE "WHITE HOUSE" DOES NOT MEAN THAT THINGS ARE GONNA BE 'EASIER" FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS..IN FACT WHY WOULD U BE EXPECTING A HANDOUT WHY NOT DO WHAT OBAMA DID AND BECOME THE CHANGE U WANNA SEE....IT PAINS ME TO THINK THAT THERE ARE MANY WHO DONT REALIZE WHAT OPPURTUNITIES HAVE BEEN CREATED BECAUS ETHEY ARE TOO BUSY LOOKIN FOR A HANDOUT..PAINS ME THAT MANY STILL WONT SEE THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO ACCOMPLISH UR DREAMS AND STOP ACCEPTING WHAT SOCIETY SAYS IS FOR YOU...WITH ALL THIS BEING SAID THE ELECTION OF THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT FOR ME HAS BEEN BITTERSWEET...SWEET BECAUSE...HISTORY WAS MADE...I WAS APART OF HISTORY BECAUSE MY FIRST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION I ELECTED THE 1ST BLACK PRESIDENT...SWEET BECAUSE SO MANY BEFORE ME WOULD BE SO PROUD THEAT THEIR WORK WAS NOT IN VAIN..SWEET BECAUS I FEEL GOD HAS SENT AN ANGEL TO LEAD OUR COUNTRY..BITTER BECAUSE OF THE IGNORANCE THAT STILL LIVES IN SOME PEOPLE..BITTER BECAUSE THERE ARE THOSE WHO HAVE A HEART OF HATRED TOWARD A MAN WITH A HEART OF LOVE FOR ALL MANKIND..BITTER THAT SOME OF MY PEERS WONT USE THIS AS ATOOL TO HELO THEM REALIZE THERE POWER...BUT ALL IN ALL IM HAPPY..OVERJOYED.BECAUSE I CAN SAY THAT....MY PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IS BLACK.....