I missed the images of the celebration in Harlem.
I was watching the results on CNN with my family, laptop in my lap, calling out the projections from the other news outlets. When the count reached 200, I told my son that Obama had basically won because the three blue states on the West Coast would total more than 70. He went to bed because it was a school night. And then came the announcement. I ran upstairs to tell him. He was already fast asleep, tired from the excitement roused in him from the excitement of all those around. How I suddenly wished he had been able to stay up for it. I told him anyways, spoke quietly close to him and stayed with him for a little bit.
It's for him. If Obama leads us well and can continue to bring out that "something already innately in us, bring it out not for him but for us, for all of us, for the good we can make together" then in the years to come, my son will grow up to be a man with every reason to be happy and proud of his country for all the right reasons.
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