Miscellaneous

I expected that Barack Obama would probably win yesterday?s presidential election. I didn?t expect that, when I realized he had actually done it, I would cry. Cry at seeing his face on the TV screen with the words ?The 44th President of the United States.? Cry for the explosion of joy in Grant Park. Cry on hearing Senator McCain?s gracious concession. Cry at listening to Senator Obama?s story of the 104-year-old African-American lady, one generation removed from slavery, who witnessed virtually the entire civil-rights movement and who, yesterday, cast her vote.

I suppose I cried because I?ve been around for a little less than half of that 104-year-old history myself. I remember a New Orleans that was still mostly segregated. I remember being raised not to hate black people, but to be afraid of them. I remember when New Orleans caucasians feared the prospect of a black mayor. Yesterday a majority of voters nationwide embraced an African-American president.

Racism and bigotry have been chains on all of us. And yesterday, we realized that, while we still have a ways to go, many of those chains were thrown off.