Yo-Bama!

I have to write a post post election, since history has been made and all. I am happy, as everyone knows I'm a pretty big Obama fan. I'm happy that he won, but not happy because the other team lost. McCain had 48% pop vote, so it wasn't a landslide popularity wise.

I won't say I voted for Obama because he's black, but I am glad he is. It is time for this to happen. Past time. Just like I wouldn't have voted for Hilary, (or to be certain, Sarah Palin) just because she's a woman. But I would've been glad to see a woman in office happen too.

My son asked me today why all the "TV guys" were calling Obama's win history. I'm not even sure he knows what history is, but he heard it enough to ask. I told him it's because Obama's the first "brown guy" to be President. My kids don't even say black or white. They say brown, kinda brown, tan, and pink. My daughter's the pink one. She's really pale and gets pink playing outside when it's warm. I didn't teach them this. They all came up with it. The group on the street is very blended, and my kids' best friends right now are black, white, hispanic, middle-eastern, and mixed. The next-door neighbor kids who are the same ages as mine are black with a white grandmother. I watch 2 kids after school, one hispanic and one black/white mixed, who were adopted by their parents who are hispanic and white. My son's longest standing friend is half Mexican, half white/asian. He also had a "girlfriend" last year that is Indian. And I live in a North Texas suburb. My kids absolutely have no awareness of racial problems yet. But they are young, early elementary aged. I hope it will continue.

So my son's response to Obama being the first "brown" president was "He's not that brown. He's kinda brown." And the discussion was over. He went on playing with his legos. One of the pundits, I saw so many last night I don't remember who, said last night that the face of America is changing and it's not just about "Joe the Plumber". It's true. Joe the Plumber is a fine face, but there are a lot of others that are in the game.

This is a big deal. My younger brother who's 19 commented on facebook a sarcastic remark about should he be cheering for Obama's white half. He's not racist. I think he voted for Obama. I guess he doesn't get it as much as older people do. He grew up in a time where it was much more equal than I did, even just being 17 years apart. My generation grew up watching the reruns of All in the Family, Good Times, The Jeffersons, etc to be followed by The Cosby Show, Fresh Prince and those shows. I'm ashamed to admit it, but the most I learned about slavery was from the miniseries "Roots". That's all I knew about black people. I had heard of their struggle, was upset by it and thought it was horrible, but didn't know any personally. I don't even think we had Black history at my school. If we did I don't remember, I was a terrible student. I went to high school in a nice neighborhood in Dallas with no minorities. I'm not kidding. None. Black people were foreign to me until I left home. As well as hispanic, asian, anyone but white. I have higher hopes for my kids. I told him he should cheer for both halves of Obama. I am.

Carol Howard Merrit wrote a good blog on the subject of raising kids who don't know much about racism here.

So, we can be proud, not just because he's African American but be glad that he is. I think he deserves it. But you all knew that.