It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life, and I'm feeling good...I woke up this morning to teenagers shouting "Obama!" on my block. Street noise never sounded so sweet.
My
Facebook status today is "still in shock" -- I went to sleep last night at 2am hoping to wake up in the same dream-like America.
I have not seen anything like last night in my life. The closest thing was September 12, 2001, when the streets and squares were full of people coming together because they couldn't be alone at a time like that. Now turn that feeling upside down -- remove fear and inject hope -- and imagine a party rivaling New Year's Eve all throughout my city.
Here's the story of my night.
I met up with Nicolle and Flora to go to Kevin Powell and MTV's Election Night party at Element in the Lower East Side. We got there around 7:30, right after the first polls closed. As people arrived, the mood was definitely "cautiously optimistic" -- each time a state was called by CNN, people relaxed a bit, started to dance more (props to beats by a great DJ), ordered another round.
McCain was ahead at first, and I told the girls, "Look at that now, because that's the last time you're going to see it." Sure enough, when the big leap happened after the big Eastern poll closing, people went crazy. And as Obama's lead grew, Democrats were gaining the Senate and Congress too. People cheered when their home states flashed on the screen, when battleground states were won... I cheered more when Elizabeth Dole lost and Al Franken crawled ahead. Sara and Leo arrived and the night gained momentum.
And then the West Coast polls closed. Now keep in mind the crowd I was in was overwhelmingly young, urban, black professionals. I have never heard cheering so deafening. My ears are still ringing today. We screamed and screamed, tears started streaming down my face, I called my mom and just held the phone up in the crowd. She may have been a McCain supporter, but as a white woman who married a black man in the 70's, and raised a biracial child as a single mom, I hope something about the significance of last night resonates.
No one was quiet until McCain's concession speech. Much booing. Over; more cheering. And then, Obama arrived at Grant Park. Let me tell you, the only thing this crowd loved more than Barack was Michelle -- or shall I say, the First Lady Elect. Laura wha? Jackie who?
What a speech. Barack is a bigger person than I am, sitting here in New York contemplating getting a custom-made "Blue State Secession" tee. Reaching out to everyone regardless of party or vote, working already to unite the United States.
And please note: the McCain audience was homogeneous. As usual. The Obama audience was all ages, colors, backgrounds. That alone is enough argument for me. Welcome to 21st century America.
After more cheering and dancing, Sara, Leo, and I headed out to walk home/to the subway. We also wanted to see the mood on the streets. We had no idea what was in store. As we walked up 1st Avenue into the East Village, people were still cheering in bars and pouring out onto the sidewalk. When we got to St. Mark's Place, the entire intersection was full of people cheering and chanting, holding up signs and taking pictures.
We got word from Elizabeth that Union Square was on fire, so we had to go. On the way, impromptu parades started and people slapped high-fives and congratulated strangers. Union Square was beyond packed, people spilling onto the streets, young people leading chants of "Yes We Can" and "Obama" and even "USA" -- one you never hear in NYC.
The energy was unbelievable. The only time I've been in such a hive of positive energy was Invesco, or a huge church service. Never in New York -- not for the Yankees or the Giants or anything. I couldn't pull myself away until 2am -- and even on the subway platform people were still yelling, and at each stop people got off and cheered more. Back in Williamsburg, I stopped in my bodega and marveled to Sajoo, who's from Bangladesh and has lived here longer than I have but isn't a citizen, that we won. He was so happy.
You guys: this is the American I want to live in. This is the country I can be proud of. This has restored my patriotism, my belief in possibility, my hope for change that is right and progressive and needed.
Yes, we can. And yes, we did.
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