Thank you President Obama. Thank you for your courage, your commitment and your compassion as a leader. Thank you for your humanity, your humility and your humbleness as a man. Thank you for your understanding, your knowledge and your wisdom as a black man. And, thank you for your power, your purpose and your patriotism as a President.
President Obama, my family may never get the opportunity to meet your beautiful family, and you may never get to read this post, but nonetheless I write because it needs to be told. I know that I am not the first to express these thoughts and words. Hopefully I am not the last. From almost as far as I can remember, I’ve been of the belief that there is far more “good” than “bad” in the world we are so fortunate to live in. I believed it yesterday, I believe it today and will believe it with each tomorrow. Others may view the world differently, especially in these times, but I’ve always leaned toward optimism. My feeling is that if those whom are capable of “doing good” would DO so as often as possible, the good deeds would surpass or at least balance the the scale against those who are more apt to do “bad”. And thus, I offer my apologies.
President Obama, my apology for not doing more to support you during your tenure. Oh, believe me, I ABSOLUTELY voted for you! In fact, I cast 20 ballots by myself in each election of “08 and “12. LOL! Now let somebody say sump’m……I’m in a “wishful” mood these days! (See Cedric the Entertainer in Kings of Comedy). I should have voted for you as a “write in” candidate in ’16………...Voted, yes, but voting is the “beginning” of democracy, just one small, however important, ingredient. I assure you that my family will never forget this. There is work to be “done” once the election is over. Not only by the candidates, but more so by the “people”. As we are currently mired in the administration of “true lies” and “alternative facts”, I have been forced to accept the fact that I did not “do” enough in support of your presidency. President Obama, the feeling of pride, euphoria, excitement, astonishment, reality, and yes, disbelief and surprise made me numb to the fact that I, as Black American, had a responsibility beyond witnessing the inauguration of the “first Black President”. WE, AS A PEOPLE, HAD WORK TO DO! Twelve years since and I still see the faces of the older generations witnessing something that they thought they would never live to see. Thank you again sir.
So Mr. President, I have compiled a list of things that “I” could have “done” to help my little piece of America be better. These were all inspired by you and I will honor your legacy throughout my family as you will be undoubtedly remembered for being on the right side of history.
- Pursue a higher level of education
- Become more active in local politics
- Contribute more to HBCUs
- Support a worthy charity
- Volunteer for a non-profit that directly benefits the local community
- Support the community where I grew up
- Visit and support African-American monuments/museums
- Learn/share the historical relevance of my home state
- Greet and acknowledge each other positively
- Celebrate/acknowledge Barack Obama’s Presidency beyond the Oval Office
There is so much more I could say, but even more I must do. Thank you Mr. President, for the inspiration. See you in ’21………..
The Real Life Corner 