What A Difference A Day Makes…. Barack Obama

Last year around this time I was headed to the polls to vote for Barack Obama to become the first African American President.  That evening my girlfriend and I attended an election watch party downtown and when Barack won the nomination we celebrated in the streets of Harlem.  As I drove through the streets of Harlem and watched people dancing, singing, hugging and crying…I thought to myself “did I not get the memo.”  Don’t get me wrong I was ecstatic, but my fellow Harlemites were celebrating as if we had just been freed. Barack’s win seemed to have emancipated alot of people.  For once, at least in Harlem, we were all one.  People of all nationalities were hugging one another, the police allowed us to stop in traffic and dance on our cars (wheretheydothatat?), instead of the “yoyo shorty can I holla at you” call I usually get from guys I received the “Excuse me miss do you mind if…”   This continued even when when I arrived to my apartment.  My neighbor and I had never spoken before, but as I stood next to her in the elevator she couldn’t contain her joy…she just kept smiling..so I broke the silence and said “we did it.”  This young Caucasian female smiled and then proceeded to talk my ear off.  As I closed my eyes that night I hoped my godson now knew that there was no limit to what he could be when he grew up. What a difference a day makes…