Victory

As the night grew late, we waited on pins and needles for the moment we would know for certain they had won. Not long ago, the previously vaunted organization had suddenly looked quite fallable just when the opposition was surging. But then, as if lifted by fate and destiny, the good guys had righted the ship and were now on the verge of making history. Yet we all still worried and prayed, fearing things would go unexpectedly wrong as they had many times before.

Suddenly the announcer declared the victory as the two men embraced with relief and amazement on their faces. Soon they were surrounded by the rest of their cheering team. In the roomful of people watching this moment unfold with me, there were cheers and a few tears, for a day we thought might never come.

Then, we went to the windows and out the doors to hear the sounds of our city rejoicing all at once in victory: car horns, full-throated cheers, and the voices of nearly a million people crying and screaming at the same time. The downtown streets were filled with cheering throngs, carrying signs and making their joy heard.

We called our families and friends, saying "can you believe it?" We remembered those who had prayed for this moment but left this earth before being able to see it with their own eyes. We raised a glass to them, and wished they could be here to enjoy the long-awaited victory with us. And then we sat back and basked in the glow of it all as the reality of victory finally sank in.

These are my memories of the night the Boston Red Sox became the 2004 World Series champions, having finally broken a curse that had seemed cruelly insurmountable.

I was reminded last night of that night four years ago, just a little over a week before Red Sox fan John Kerry would go on to shocking defeat in the presidential election. I imagined myself bargaining with fate and destiny that year on a hard decision for me, since I believed I could have my Red Sox win it all but Kerry lose the presidency, or I could watch my Red Sox be crushed yet again but see George W. Bush dispatched back to Crawford. I knew that cruel fate would not let me have both of these things, and though in my heart I wanted the presidency more, I was pretty happy to get the 86 year curse broken instead.

Four years ago under a red moon of a partial eclipse, I walked onto the streets of Boston and heard the screams and cheers and car horns of a relieved and jubilant Red Sox nation. It was a wonderful feeling, one I have only experienced once previously when FSU won the national championship my freshman year. That night remains one of my favorite memories of my entire life. But that is about sports. Sports, while meaningful in its own way, is ultimately a luxury of distraction.

Last night, the American people united in a way that they rarely have for politics. So many people care more about their sports teams than they do their elected officials, it's often disheartening to see the enthusiasm gap between sports and politics. But last night, Team Obama came to play, to win, and to celebrate. The outpouring of emotion that I saw all over Atlanta last night was like the Red Sox World Series victory on ecstasy--an endless orgasm of hope culminating in joy.

There was also more than a little disbelief. "I never thought it would actually happen" was a refrain I heard over and over again. As we walked through the Hyatt lobby, people were weeping. As I watched Obama's historic speech, I cried too. I was so incredibly proud of my country, of the people around me and the people down there on the street cheering, who poured their heart and soul into getting Barack Obama elected president. Barriers that we never thought would even be dented were instead nearly eradicated last night. It hasn't even fully sunk in yet, exactly how important this historic election truly has been to all of us. Even if Obama ends up being a marginally average President, the societal progress occasioned by this historic first cannot be overstated.

Each of us who voted was a part of the very large team that is responsible for this victory. Those who waited in line for hours in the cold to vote. Those who donated money. Those who phone banked for hours, or canvassed door to door. These people were all integral players who can tell their grandchildren about the part they played in making history. Those who traveled to Denver and cast their delegate votes can say in all seriousness that they helped make Obama president, that he could not have won without them. Every single one of us who supported this effort with anything from a vote to months of hard work is now a part of a team in a way that has changed us all, at least a little bit, forever.

This morning, I was talking to a coworker of mine who has a 1 year old daughter who is biracial. She had tears in her eyes as she told me that she realized this morning her daughter will never know a world in which people doubt that a person like her can be elected President. As soon as she is old enough to understand our political makeup, the only world she will know is one where any person of any race can be elected to the highest office in this country. She will be just as unable to conceive of the previous prejudices as women like me are unable to fathom a time when we could not vote. Sure, she will learn about the history to this point from school and from her family, but the barriers will be old and gone by the time she gets to that class. She will learn only about barriers that once were, ones we cannot forget but that we will never have to bust down ever again. Isn't that amazing? All the small children in this country; my friends Patty and Bill's baby that was born the day before the election; every baby that will be born from this day forward: they will not know a time when people said a black man would never, and could never, be elected president. What a hopeful, and less hateful, world in which to raise them.

Four years ago I would have stupidly considered giving up a presidency if it meant my team won a baseball game. But now, today, after my fellow Americans finally stepped up to the plate and made the history we were all hoping for, I would not trade this day for anything in the world. This is a day I will remember with wonder and amazement and joy every day for the rest of my life. We have done what they said would never be done. We should all be proud to be a part of this extraordinary achievement today. This can never be taken away.