"Where were you when the world changed?" This was the question posed to me by an elderly black man on the Washington, DC Metro this morning, on my way to work. I was wearing my Obama button proudly on my satchel. Until he asked me that question, the enormity of last night's events finally sank in, and the tears came to my eyes.
I'm 24, and my generation hasn't had a lot to celebrate. Sure, when I was 5 years old, communism fell and the Berlin Wall came down. But that's a vague memory somewhere in the back of my mind. Most of the historical moments my generation has experienced have been tragic. 1992 WTC bombing, Oklahoma City, the Atlanta Olympics being scarred by terrorism, and of course (forgive my Giuliani impression), 9/11. I shouldn't even have to mention the past 8 years of a Bush White House.
I've always looked back at my parents' generation and thought about what amazing changes took place in their lifetime. Legal segregation was made illegal, mankind reached into space and landed on the moon, a nation stood up against an unjust war and forced its government to bring the troops home. I always said I was born into the wrong time.
All that changed last night. As I watched now President-Elect Obama take the stage in Grant Park, previously the site of the death of the Democratic Party, I realized, our generation finally has its moment. And there is plenty of time for more moments like this. We CAN be the generation that rids the earth of the scourge of extreme poverty and hunger. We CAN be the generation that ensures universal primary education for all, no matter their status or geographic location. We CAN, in the words of Gandhi, be the change we seek.
Years from now, when I am raising my children, and they learn about this moment in history, as I learned about the Civil Rights movement and the March on Washington, I can tell them how I got out and knocked on doors, made phone calls, gave money. I can tell them how I sat with friends, chills running down my body, and watched as the first black president was elected. I can tell them where I was when the world changed.
And I can tell them that they too can achieve great things, as long as they are willing to work for what is right and remember that life is about the people you meet along the way.