In light of what can no doubt be called the most historic event I've ever experienced, post 9/11, and in my life time as of yet, I made the last minute decision to host a mini Obama-rama dinner party with a few my best and closest friends and mother dearest, some bubbly, and an All-American menu consisting of some tasty homemade selections which I slaved over for more than two hours to honor and celebrate the inauguration of the 44th president of our country and our first African-American President, Barack Hussein Obama.
Disclaimer: I would have loved to invite you all, but do to my current financial situation I could not afford to feed any more mouths.
I wanted to remember this day for the rest of my life so I called up some of the girls and told them to get over here and enjoy this food and watch our main man, Obama, officially take on the highest government position!
As I prepared the food I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with an intense sense of pride and hope. It's truly amazing if you think about the fact that segregation in this country existed in full force not too long ago. Even after The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which officially ended racial segregation in the US, blacks had to endure a new life of exclusion, hardship, and incessant racism. My father is 50 years old, my grandmother is steadily approaching 80, she just turned 77 today, and my great grandfather is 99; all three of them were skeptical yet hopeful when it was made public that Obama would begin his race to the White House. When they were younger they tell me with the extreme racism they experienced throughout their lives, that just the thought of a black president seemed far fetched. My father feared that America wasn't ready to accept a black face; he feared that just as JFK was assassinated, the same might happen to Obama, and Kennedy was white. Cynicism, maybe. Fear, definitely, because my family has seen bad things happen.
Disclaimer: I would have loved to invite you all, but do to my current financial situation I could not afford to feed any more mouths.
I wanted to remember this day for the rest of my life so I called up some of the girls and told them to get over here and enjoy this food and watch our main man, Obama, officially take on the highest government position!
As I prepared the food I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with an intense sense of pride and hope. It's truly amazing if you think about the fact that segregation in this country existed in full force not too long ago. Even after The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which officially ended racial segregation in the US, blacks had to endure a new life of exclusion, hardship, and incessant racism. My father is 50 years old, my grandmother is steadily approaching 80, she just turned 77 today, and my great grandfather is 99; all three of them were skeptical yet hopeful when it was made public that Obama would begin his race to the White House. When they were younger they tell me with the extreme racism they experienced throughout their lives, that just the thought of a black president seemed far fetched. My father feared that America wasn't ready to accept a black face; he feared that just as JFK was assassinated, the same might happen to Obama, and Kennedy was white. Cynicism, maybe. Fear, definitely, because my family has seen bad things happen.
But then I said what about all the good you've seen?
God Bless the Obamas. In the midst of an economic recession and on the cusp of a depression, President Obama certainly has his work cut out for himself. With all of these obstacles our country faces, to us, the average citizen, it is easy to become overwhelmed by these roadblocks which seem insurmountable. But if you paid any attention to his inaugural address, you would have noticed that he seldom said "I" while mentioning the giant tasks at hand. He engaged with us Americans and said "we." I believe that Obama does represent a new future for this country, and we should be hopeful, but it is also not only the work of the president to reshape and reform our country. Obama believes in us and our power. Look at this, we got him into office. It is up to us, the citizens and government officials, to take on active roles together to improve our situation. President Obama understands and makes it clear to us that it might take a while, but it will happen:
"For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health-care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do."
With that said, I respected him so much more for saying that change will happen but in no set time period. I appreciated him pledging to be all he can be for us and the furture of our country, without giving us any false hopes.
A country with such a racist history (and present) has elected a black man to lead us. I think that is amazing. Watching President Obama on TV brings tears to my eyes because for the first time I feel like I can trust and relate to the man who has my country in his palms. This is only my second election in which I've had the opportunity to vote, but I am proud just like my family members who have been voting for years.
I admire President Obama for so many reasons. Last night he just enhanced my opinions about him. During the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball, host Robin Roberts (Kobe Bryant's twin?) put Obama on the spot when she brought up his fumbled words while taking the oath. I was impressed at his response and how he so gracefully answered that he paused to let the US Supreme Court Justice John Roberts compose himself and repeat the oath. "Faithfully" here, "faithfully" there, whatever. Obama, oh so calm, cool, and collected fumbled a tiny bit, but whatever. I can't imagine what was going through his mind. The inauguration was definitely a moving moment for all, even for those who are used to that kind of thing. Obama seems like a genuinely caring and gentle man; not only do we sense that from the tone of his voice and his non-verbals during all speeches and interviews, but we are given the oportunity to witness it when we see him interact with Michelle and his girls. How cute was it when he gave his littlest girl, Sasha, a booster to stand on so she can see daddy taking the oath? During their dance as President and First Lady at the Neighborhood ball, the two of them were glowing as Beyonce sang her rendition of At Last. Check it out online if you missed it
There are so many reasons to admire Obama, and I've barely touched the surface.
To me, Obama and his perseverance, strength, and determination reflect what this great country is all about. I know that I can make it far because Obama is just like me! A little bit of this, and a little bit of that! Best of both, and in my case, just about all, worlds. My mother is a Colombian immigrant who came to this country with her family in hopes of achieving and living the American Dream. My father is of Shinnecock Native American, West Indian, specifically Barbados, and African-American decent. Growing up I never felt "latina" enough or "black" enough, and because of my last name, my identity was often mistaken for some kind of Asian. I never really chose which culture to be because my mom told me I was an American, and each individual culture was represented just the same. We would speak Spanish and English, eat tamales y arepas, and blackeyed peas with rice and jerk chicken, while discussing what kind of dances my sister and I should perform at the Pow Wow in September. I learned to appreciate soca music and delicious Caribbean food. I danced the cumbia at every Hernandez gathering, and ate pernil on Christmas eve, and I ate sweet potatoes, mac-n-cheese, and collards (with the ham bone!) every Thanksgiving.
I chose to celebrate by cooking, and although I didn't make anything I would normally eat, I thought it might be fun to dine on homemade burgers, homemade spinach and artichoke dip, hot dogs, fries, and coke! I made the burgers and dip from scratch and they came out mighty fine.
I admire President Obama for so many reasons. Last night he just enhanced my opinions about him. During the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball, host Robin Roberts (Kobe Bryant's twin?) put Obama on the spot when she brought up his fumbled words while taking the oath. I was impressed at his response and how he so gracefully answered that he paused to let the US Supreme Court Justice John Roberts compose himself and repeat the oath. "Faithfully" here, "faithfully" there, whatever. Obama, oh so calm, cool, and collected fumbled a tiny bit, but whatever. I can't imagine what was going through his mind. The inauguration was definitely a moving moment for all, even for those who are used to that kind of thing. Obama seems like a genuinely caring and gentle man; not only do we sense that from the tone of his voice and his non-verbals during all speeches and interviews, but we are given the oportunity to witness it when we see him interact with Michelle and his girls. How cute was it when he gave his littlest girl, Sasha, a booster to stand on so she can see daddy taking the oath? During their dance as President and First Lady at the Neighborhood ball, the two of them were glowing as Beyonce sang her rendition of At Last. Check it out online if you missed it
There are so many reasons to admire Obama, and I've barely touched the surface.
To me, Obama and his perseverance, strength, and determination reflect what this great country is all about. I know that I can make it far because Obama is just like me! A little bit of this, and a little bit of that! Best of both, and in my case, just about all, worlds. My mother is a Colombian immigrant who came to this country with her family in hopes of achieving and living the American Dream. My father is of Shinnecock Native American, West Indian, specifically Barbados, and African-American decent. Growing up I never felt "latina" enough or "black" enough, and because of my last name, my identity was often mistaken for some kind of Asian. I never really chose which culture to be because my mom told me I was an American, and each individual culture was represented just the same. We would speak Spanish and English, eat tamales y arepas, and blackeyed peas with rice and jerk chicken, while discussing what kind of dances my sister and I should perform at the Pow Wow in September. I learned to appreciate soca music and delicious Caribbean food. I danced the cumbia at every Hernandez gathering, and ate pernil on Christmas eve, and I ate sweet potatoes, mac-n-cheese, and collards (with the ham bone!) every Thanksgiving.
I chose to celebrate by cooking, and although I didn't make anything I would normally eat, I thought it might be fun to dine on homemade burgers, homemade spinach and artichoke dip, hot dogs, fries, and coke! I made the burgers and dip from scratch and they came out mighty fine.
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