Been A Little While, I Know, but Something to Think About...

I haven't posted in a few days, there's been a lot going on, both in my personal life and the current events happening. As soon as I choose something important to write about, something else happens, and I find it difficult not only to find the time, but to choose the topic. Right at this moment I'm at work, and I have a meeting to be in at 9, and what I wanted to talk about today simply can't be discussed thoroughly in 20 minutes. I want to give you something to think about though. I'm sure you've already been thinking about it, who hasn't? But perhaps you haven't thought about it from this viewpoint.

Today we stand on the threshold of a whole new world. Today is primary day in North Carolina and Indiana. Never before has the primary in these two states been as important as it is today; usually by now the Democratic candidate for the Presidency has been chosen, and none of the rest of the primaries really matter anymore, except to show the feeling of those states. Today, voters in North Carolina and Indiana are feeling that they are actually contributing something to the Presidential race, and that's a good feeling.

Not only are the voters there feeling good, blacks all over America are feeling good, and so are women. Both groups for the first time are being told "You matter; your sex/race is just as important as that of the white males in this country." Regardless of how far either candidate goes, regardless of who eventually wins the Presidential seat, there are no losers in this race. (Unless the Republicans win!) As long as a Democrat sits in that seat on January 20th, we all come out winners, because we all played a part in history. I am going to love telling my grandson when he's old enough to understand, "Your grandmother was here to vote for the first black President of the United States" or the first woman, whichever it happens to be.

Look at how much our country has changed! We've come from Blacks and women being considered a white man's property right up to where they both have a good chance of beating him in the Presidential race. What a difference from the days of women burning their bras, and black slaves uprising to be free. This is a whole new country, a whole new day, and regardless of how we feel about what's going on under Bush, we have to feel proud of a country that has managed to overcome so many prejudices to get to such a point. Yes, we still have prejudice; women still don't get paid on a level with men, and non-whites are still considered 2nd class citizens. But women ARE getting paid, and blacks ARE citizens, and that's a hell of a lot more than our ancestors could have said. Who knows if things will ever be equal, and if so when, but I'll tell you what, as a black woman, I'd damn sight rather be living here now than in the days of slavery!!