elation and sorrow

election day has been very bittersweet. i am so proud of my country, who finally came together and elected a president who gives us some hope for a better future -- for the first time in a very long time. president-elect barack obama's acceptance speech, which nearly made me cry, was so mlk- and kennedy-esque that it prompted a friend to say, "he may well get his own monument when he's done." there's a lot to do and a lot to fix, and he was upfront about that, but i think he is going to find a way to redefine the america that we have become so apathetic about supporting and changing. i am also hopeful that his opponent, quite gracious in defeat, will bring the rest of the country along and join forces with obama's camp to move in the right direction.

i wish i could have been there to celebrate with my brother, who has been working tirelessly in new mexico for the obama campaign, and who helped deliver a blue state where four long years ago he felt the sorrow of defeat. i wish i could have been there to celebrate with my mom, who has been volunteering at an obama headquarters office in her first days of retirement, and has found her own ways to contribute to change she believes in so much. i wish i could have been in chicago, to feel the goosebumps from obama's speech live and in person. as it was, i was in our nation's capital, among the monuments to the great leaders past, celebrating the 50th anniversary of an organization i believe in, and stood in a hopeful crowd of obama supporters as the returns came in. what an election this has been.

from president-elect obama's acceptance speech: "This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can."

yet, on the very same day when the United States of America found ways to step away from its history of divisiveness and corruption and elect a president to lead us into a more positive future, my very liberal state took a huge step in the wrong direction. with the passing of proposition 8, california voters have approved the addition of discrimination into our state's constitution. this is the first time in history that a constitutional amendment has been approved which TAKES AWAY rights that already exist. is this what freedom means? this was a proposition born out of fear, and yet, somehow californians could not find a way to learn from our past mistakes. not only is this a proposition that affects me directly, but it affects a number of friends and family i love dearly. i am certain that this will be caught up in the courts for some time (and hopefully repealed or resolved in some way), but it is extremely disheartening to find that we are unable to move forward in the spirit of equality in a state that boasts such liberality and acceptance.

i am hopeful, though, that this divisiveness and discrimination will pass. in our auspicious history, we have overcome our fear and opened the rights for those of any race, religion, and gender; i am hopeful that we will overcome this fear, too. the words of barack obama are fitting here, too: yes, we can.

yes, we can.