A lot of us are wondering what to do now, what comes next, "what happens when Obama finishes his speech?" The suggestions listed in paddy henry's diary are all very good and I suggest giving it a read if you haven't already. I want to stress one point harder than the rest. This is not because it carries more weight and it's certainly not because the other calls to action aren't extremely crucial. If I've learned anything from Dr. Dean and the grassroots organization of Barack Obama, it's that the power is in our hands and we must do everything that we possibly can to wield that power effectively. That said the thing I want to most encourage all Obama supporters out there to do is...
...DONATE.
DONATE NOW.
DONATE RIGHT FREAKING NOW.
This is a huge moment in our history. There's no two ways about it. As a brown man from Mississippi, words cannot express how proud I am of Senator Obama for taking the heat he has taken over his race and everything that comes with it and still holding his head high. It is a difficult task to stand in the face of such viciousness, such hatred, such fear and continue to express a message of unity and hope.
As an American, I could not be more proud of what Senator Obama is doing. To attack one of the nastiest and most vile institutions of our nation head on takes a level of courage that I can only dream about. To do so with the grace and patience that Barack Obama has shown thus far is breathtaking.
As a nation, racism is woven into the very fiber of our collective being. This country was built on the backs of slaves whose ancestors still encounter that same underlying fear and hatred that shackled them up and dragged them here to plow white fields and raise white children.
Those who would feel it their right, their duty, to carry on this terrible legacy need to know that their brand of evil will no longer be tolerated. No more will such wickedness have a place in the discussion of whether or not a man or woman is capable of leading our nation back to a place of greatness.
No more will black families raise their children to distrust and speak ill of their white brothers and sisters for the transgressions of their forefathers. We must learn to judge one another by what is in our hearts and how we live our lives as individuals.
I am sick and tired of this. I don't care about the color of your skin or what someone did to your grandparents. I don't care what some people said or did to you in your formative years. I don't care anymore.
Can we as people pick one another up and help one another move forward? Can we educate one another without feeling like everything we stand for is being degraded and attacked? Can we learn from one another through civil discourse and by making the effort to truly understand where our hearts lie and why?
Let's see if we can help turn this narrative around and show people that we as a nation can get behind someone who seeks to bring us together. Let's help Barack Obama to lift the discussion to a new level. Let's carry this nation forward together.
We can do this. We can make this nation great again. We can erase the hate. The moment is ours and the time is now.
Go. Educate. Donate.