WWTF Radio

I stand in wonderment of what we can do…

I was there and I am still in a state of shock and awe.

First of all, I must say, that as a resident of West Philly all my life, I have never been more proud of my ‘hood, not even of Will Smith (whom I LOVE).  On Saturday, October 11, 2008, I got to see the next President of the United States standing on one of the roughest corners in my city, speaking to the hearts and minds of the people.  Yes, I was moved to tears…

As I write this, I am watching CNN, getting my daily fix, and the story is about how race will affect this election, and whether or not there are White voters who will lie and say that they will vote for Obama but will ultimately break the other way.  I tell you this; I have NEVER seen, or thought I would see, hundreds of White people standing at the intersection of

The Bushfire Theater at the corner of 52nd & Locust sts. in West Philadelphia

52nd & Locust street in the heart of West Philadelphia, in front of the historic Bushfire Theater, smiling and chatting with people that I’m sure never imagined they would be supporting a Black man for President of the United States.  As I watched Barack speak, I was overcome with emotion.  But that’s not what moved me to tears. I broke down while speaking with an elderly Black man as I watched a young White guy and an elderly Black woman engaged in a very amicable and enthusiastic conversation about how we needed Barack in office to bring true change in our country.  As many of you know, my mother, father and grandmother are all deceased.  It smacked me in my face while viewing that exchange that there are so many who came before myself that fought, cried and died for the chance to see this day, but never made it.  I also thought of the friends I’ve lost throughout my life and all of those who would be seeing the first Black President sworn into office in their late 20’s or early 30’s; those whose belief that it could never happen contributed to some of their more reckless choices.  I wept for them as well.

Once I spotted the 2 foot square space on the edge of a folding table just inside the barricades, I had to be where I was sure I could see him.  Though I could see his crisp white shirt from the sidewalk, I couldn’t see those Presidential hand gestures or truly feel the impact of the speech.  I seized the opportunity to climb onto that table, in heels no less, and help to lead the chant of “YES WE CAN” at somewhere around 16:20 minutes into the speech.  Video of the speech in it’s entirety is included at the conclusion of this post.

I must say that it was a beautiful exchange.  Children as small as toddlers and elderly men and women (of ALL races), some with breathing apparatus, some in wheelchairs and with canes and walkers…  I wished I could have asked each and every one of those supporters how they felt, what they really thought, and made them comfortable enough to be honest with me.  I wonder if any undecided voters would have given me the inkling that they just couldn’t bring themselves to vote for “that one.”  I tell you, if that was the case, I couldn’t find one unhappy face as we all danced off to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder.  Any looks of concern might have come from thinking that maybe that song is the opposite of what we will truly see on election day.  But then, McFadden and Whitehead (Philly soul crooners, of course) calmed any fears by smoothly crooning, “Ain’t no stopping us now, we’re on the move!”

I finally got my wish, I got to see him there in front of me, I can tell my children this story and continue the tradition of keeping our youth involved in the process of moving ourselves forward as a people by keeping them connected to their history.  And this is history, because for the first time, we have a true chance to realize the ideals that this nation claims to be built on.  YES WE CAN!!!!