Hope

Dear Dash,

When you're old enough to read this, I'm sure you'll have learned all about the historic 2008 presidential election in school. God-willing, we will have elected America's first Black president. But that's not the important thing about this election. The important thing here is the return to hope.

by Robert Indiana

In the past eight years this country and its politicians have embraced a policy of greed, cynicism, aggressive stupidity and anti-intellectualism. We have shamed ourselves in the eyes of the world and we have plunged our citizens into what promises to be a deep and chaotic economic crisis. We pretended that global warming wasn't real and we lied when the facts proved otherwise. We started a war for no reason that any sane person can justify. We made millions of complicated and unfair home loans to people least able to afford them. We became the thing that the people who hate us always said we were.

by Johnathan Hoefler

The 2000s were bleak, hard, ugly years. Many, myself included, had given up hope that America would ever resume its place as the leader of the free world. That we could ever win back the respect of other nations. That we could ever get our own self respect back.

by Scott Hansen

But then something amazing happened. A leader stepped forward who was not any of the things that we had grown used to. He wasn't cynical and he wasn't manipulative and he was most certainly not anti-intellectual. He was not self-conscious about being inspiring. He did not pretend to be everyman. He told us in no uncertain terms that we were good and fucked and that we would have to sacrifice to get through hard times ahead. He admitted--in a tough economic climate--that yes, those who have the most will have to shoulder a bit more of the burden so that those who have the least can survive.

by Shepard Fairey

This man has inspired the people of this nation in a way that I don't think anyone has seen before. College students are registering in record numbers. Artists are creating iconic images for the campaign. Volunteers from all over the country are sacrificing every available moment in order to get out the vote. It is truly an amazing thing to watch.

In six days your daddy & I will wake you up early so we can bring you with us to cast our votes for Barack Obama. It will, God-willing, be a historic day for America. One that will change our course and remind the world (and us) why we were once considered the greatest nation on Earth.

Love,
Mama

p.s. I heard something on the radio yesterday that I can't forget. It was recited by an African American man, and no doubt he was talking about the children in his community. But I think it applies to you, and your children, too:

Rosa sat so Martin could walk.
Martin walked so Obama could run.
Obama is running so our children can fly.