[Stories & Tips]

I Was There

Last night was amazing. I stood in the crowd outside the Obama Rally in downtown Chicago Grant Park. My friend Angela scored tickets for herself and her friend. She and I texted back and forth while I stood with thousands to watch the results come back on the huge screen that was one of 5 screens set up for any of us who did not have tickets. My family from Indiana kept texting me. Ashley, my sister, would update me on Indiana's grueling close call. My husband was at home and texted me "Obama takes Ohio". Suddenly I look up, the crowd is calm and the screen announces "Barack Obama Elected President of the United States." The crowd gasps. Everyone is shocked and then we finally realize we can celebrate. A few minutes later, I say goodbye to my friends and leave the crowd. I want to get home so my husband and I can watch the victory speech together. As I cross Michigan Avenue, people are just learning the news. They start crying, running, cheering, and overall rejoicing about this historic moment. I am crying. I am watching black men, white men, Asian women, Latino Americans line the streets to celebrate this moment in time. I feel like I'm in the middle of history. And I begin to wonder if this was what it felt like when JFK was elected or when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his riveting "I Have a Dream" speech. I take pictures. Security officers are taking their hats off and weeping tears. A traffic officer is gleaming as kids flood the street with their flags and signs. Cars beep at me while I flash my camera. Four black men play their boom box down the middle of the street loudly while clapping. I feel so alive. I feel so blessed. And I feel so much a part of this city and this country. I feel united with every single person that I know, that I don't know, and that I'll never know. Thank you Obama for making history and making us each a part of you. Thank you.