This wasn't supposed to happen like this

It all started for me back in October, 1984 when I first heard Eddie Murphy draw the comparison as to how "in shape" Jesse Jackson would be because he’d constantly be running while delivering his state of the union address if Jesse were elected president of the United States. A black president…even 21 years after the “Dream” speech was still a laughable topic amongst the American culture.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

July 28, 2004. While my then fiancée and I were laughing about possible personality clashes to occur during our wedding, I had turned on the tv and there was this man speaking at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He fit the description you’re all too familiar with from the storybooks…tall, dark & handsome….but damn his ears were big. However, his voice was Oprah Winfrey, Master Yoda, Keith Jackson & EF Hutton. A voice that commanded your attention, and the more he spoke, the more people listened. Then he was running for (and would win) a US Senate seat from the state of Illinois. His message was constant through his speech “Hope is on the way”. His name was Barrack H. Obama

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

December 14th, 2006. Courtney & I hosted a white elephant exchange gift party at our home. During the gift exchange, one of the attendees unwrapped a gift that was a book penned by the man I described above. The title “The Audacity of Hope”. Jokingly I shouted “That’s our next president everybody” and Courtney and I entered a stance that mimicked John Carlos & Tommie Smith on the medal podium during the 1968 Summer Olympics. The rumor was slowly turning into a strong buzz, but nobody took it seriously then.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

February 2007, Springfield, IL Barrack Obama announced his candidacy for president of the United States. “No way” your average Californian would say. “who is this guy?” would be Kobe Bryant’s response. “He’s a long shot” your Fox News correspondent would say…the democratic nomination was all Hillary R. Clinton’s. December, 2007, my sister (who maybe one of 31 black people in the state of Iowa) called me to let me know she had received a Holiday card from the Obama family. On the front was a picture of Barrack, Michelle, & their daughters Milea & Sasha. This guy won’t win. But that’s an earnest effort to get my sister’s vote during the upcoming Caucus. Later, Oprah Winfrey would endorse Barrack Obama, the reaction…Oprah’s a traitor.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

January 3rd, 2008, Barrack Obama won the Iowa Caucus..”. Then Barrack split the delegate count of the New Hampshire primary w/ Hillary. Then Barrack would win South Carolina. Then Barrack would emerge as a legit contender from the infamous “Super Tuesday”. Suddenly states that never voted in the primary had a voice in the upcoming months. People who couldn’t tell you what an electoral vote was, began quoting political blogs they read on huffingtonpost.com We were experiencing something unreal. A movement unlike anything we’ve felt before.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

Forced to denounce and disown the Pastor who married his wife and baptized his children. Forced to deliver a dynamic (yet necessary) speech about race relations in America. Forced to defend himself because “he delivers great speeches”, defend himself because “he’s out of touch w/ the common man, and has never had to struggle…an elitist if you will”. Yet come out on top as the 2008 Democratic nominee. No, it wasn’t supposed to happen.

A black man, being called a Socialist, and being associated by others labeled as anti-American. Others who hatched internal plots within the United States while Barrack was 8 years old. While campaigning against the personification of what the American dream by the alias of Joe the Plumber.

“Do you understand he wants to tax you forever?”
“Do you understand he wants to engage in civil talks with our enemies abroad?”
“Do you understand that he’s never had to work hard in his life?”
“Do you understand he’s not one of us?”

No. This wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

The night of November 4, 2008, Courtney, myself and our then 11 month daughter Ava went over to a friend’s house to watch the Returns. I wore my “THAT ONE 08” T-SHIRT, Courtney had on a t-shirt with a picture of her family that was taken at a family reunion decades ago. At that time, I didn’t understand why THAT T-SHIRT of all t-shirts? But it would later make sense to me.

By the time we arrived @ our friend’s house, including us there were 6 people, 6 cell phones, 5 cupcakes, 4 bottles of Gatorade, 3 laptops, 2 televisions, 2 pizzas and 1 overall feeling that we could potentially be witnessing history. The night began troublesome, as Ava was under the weather, and McCain had jumped out to an 8-3 electoral vote lead (he won Kentucky, Barrack won New Hampshire)…but it was early. As Ava began to feel a little better and the pizza began settling into our stomachs, more “projections” were coming in…McCain had a slight lead over Obama. The room…was cautiously optimistic but prepared for thse worse

As 7:35pm CST approached, a game changer happened…Ava suddenly felt like a brand new baby, and began pushing her stroller like she had been walking for 12 months! As she laughed & paraded around the room, George Stephanopolis had just announced to us that Barrack Obama had won the state of Pennsylvania. It’s 21 electoral votes suddenly gave Obama a lead…more projections would come in, a state here to McCain…a couple of more states for Obama this was the pattern until about 8:30pm CST…where suddenly Obama had 207 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win…McCain had 83.

As the conversation changed to dynamics in our workplace, to commonalities shared bw the two married couples to “What if Obama wins?” I immediately replied “we need to scream our loudest pop champagne like we won the championship!”. More projections were coming in. McCain was inching closer, but John King had said “at this point in the race, it looks bleek for McCain” But I knew from past elections that anything could happen. I encouraged the members at our party to “Wait until the PST (pacific Standard Time Zone) close their polls.” Barrack stood @ 207 electoral votes still.

At 10pm CST, Wolf Blitzer made 2 announcements. The first being that New Mexico was awarded to Barrack Obama, and the second one BARRACK OBAMA WINS THE ELECTION. Immediately Courtney asked “What does Fox News call?” As we flipped to Fox News, (whose fair & balanced reporting were lapdogs for John McCain & Sarah Palin), Brit Hume announced “and as the polls in California, Oregon & the state of Washington close, Fox News reports that Barrack Obama has won the 2008 presidential election. As Ava was asleep, the remaining 5 adults in the room were in stunned disbelief…then I uttered softly “…he did it y’all.”

I looked around the room and sound the quietest sound of joy I’ve ever experienced. From smiles, to tears, as we sat and watched Fox News show the cheering from Grant Park in Chicago, to the students in Indonesia, to people in Kenya dancing, the pure elation was unparalleled, then a cell phone rang, then a text message indicator went off. “He did it ya’ll”

History was made. Suddenly it made sense why my wife had a picture of her family on her t-shirt…they saw what she saw. They saw what we saw.

Overjoyed
Blessedness
Amazement
Monumental
Admiration


How do I feel?

As we approach the 48th hour of the announcement that the 44th president of the United States is named Barrack Hussein Obama, I’m still in disbelief. But I wanna shout like I just just won the Masters Golf Tournament by a record 12 strokes. I wanna sing like I’m the greatest pop artist of my time opening up for Super Bowl XXV, I wanna cry as if I’m one of the greatest players in NBA History and I finally won my first NBA title. But I can’t…I’m still on the barstool @ my mans house on Tuesday November 4th @ 10pm CST

I’m still receiving emails from people who I thought didn’t know what a filibuster was
I’m still receiving text messages from people who have never donated one cent to a political campaign
I’m still receiving phone calls from friends who are expressing their happiness as pure silence. Friends who always have something to say to me

I never appreciated the importance of Jackie Robinson’s legacy until I was 9. But I can imagine seeing a Negro play professional integrated baseball was at one time a joke to my grandmother and others of her generation. But very common place in 2008

I never appreciated Thurgood Marshall’s legacy on the United States Supreme Court until I was 14 years old. But I can imagine seeing a Black man nominated as a US Supreme Court Justice was at one time a joke to my parents and others of their generation. But very commonplace in 2008.

And for me, imagining a black man, a demographic who the United States society expects NOTHING from, assume the position of president of the United States on January 20th, 2009 was certainly a joke to me, my wife, my best friend and others in our generation as recent as January 2007
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But to my daughter Ava Rose Holcomb who turns one year old in a fortnight, and others in her generation, will they appreciate this by 2012? Maybe. 2016? Perhaps. But when she and her generation are old enough, to know that they can reference Barrack Obama as their example that people can truly be judged by the content of their character, and can achieve anything in their lifetime…makes the shock and awe of what happened this past Tuesday night slowly transform into quiet joy for me. I guess it was supposed to happen...just like this