Today, another black American man stood before more than a hundred thousand countrymen in Grant Park, Chicago, and said, "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."
Martin Luther King Jr- the pioneer of the Civil Rights movement in a segregated and racially intolerant country- had a dream. And Barack Hussein Obama- the new president-elect of the United States of America- is living it.
Anyone who has witnessed the moment, and the speech that followed, has watched history being made. As I watched Obama deliver his amazingly inspiring speech a few hours ago, I wondered why my eyes were welling up. It could not be just the words- because beautiful and eloquent as they were, I have heard a lot more of those without even coming close to choking up. It couldn't be just the images of the happy family- Michelle, the "rock of his family and love of his life" and his two beautiful little daughters- a family very much in love. It couldn't just be the images of the millions in Grant Park who had tears carousing down their cheeks- including legends like Jesse Jackson and modern day heroes like Oprah Winfrey. It couldn't just be the fact that a black man now held the most powerful office in the world. It couldn't just be the fact that a black woman held up a poster reading "Yes We Can"- knowing she had never believed it with this intensity.
As an Indian, and a sharp cynic for most things America stands for, why was I moved? Now, five hours later, after all the commotion has sufficed, I know. It is because this event is not only about one black man transcending race and bringing America to the threshold of a new era- it is, ultimately, an event that marks the triumph of human spirit above all else
- the ability of a people to recognize that we need Change we can believe in. The ability of a single human being, with no connections in the hallways of Washington, with a resume that takes a beating at every political debate, a distasterous middle name in a country paranoid about anything Islamic, no money in his pocket, and a skin colour that could be the end of the most brilliant of minds- it is the ability of one such man- armed with only a Dream- to realise it. It is his ability to make up the best run political campaign in America- and perhaps the world- right from scratch. It is the ability of that same man to inspire hope around the world in times when cynicism was the order of the day, when 'inspirational' was a word for only cheesy self-help books. It is that- and more- that moved not just me, but probably everyone who was watching- Australian or German, white or black, straight or gay, Republican or Democrat- whether they admit to it or nor. It was the triumph of the will of man.
All through the campaign, Obama has been a picture of calm and composure, never once letting his emotions get the better of him. Tonight, when everyone on the TV set and in front of it choked over their words, he looked like a man who was ready for his job- never once faltering during the speech where he acknowledged his election as the 44th president of the United States- an event that will be talked about for generations to come, and that will pave way for a million more dreams. More than anything else, Obama has embraced himself on this campaign trail- changing his name back from Barry to Barack Hussein, never once using the Race Card to his advantage, never once trying to downplay his Islamic and black roots, never once trying to wish away his realities. He proudly owned his roots. And now he owns the most powerful office in the world. And deservedly so.
