Tears of Joy
(jc)
The huge lump is gone from their heart
From East to West Coast and from North to South,
The burden is lifted for ever
The vestiges of the past are slowly forgotten
The yokes of past slavery are broken once for all
It is a general catharsis
The Day after general elections results,
Americans become prouder of the reshaping of their image
In the world.
No longer are their pursued by the ghosts of the civil rights struggle,
Of Little Rock, Birmingham and Greensboro
Why have Americans cried?
Oprah Winfrey cried her eyelashes off; Her make up became a moist mess
Michelle Obama was in disbelief. She briefly cried and embraced her daughters
Jesse Jackson as well as Colin Powell, Whites as well as Blacks cried
On this new day. The Day of change has finally come to America
Americans and the rest of the world rejoiced over the victory speech
And cried over the past inequities, injustices, slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination and prejudices
Dr. King's Dream has finally come to pass!
We, Americans, cried over the surging memories of Dr. King's March on Washington,
Mississippi's Freedom Summer, Detroit's riots, and Selma's Bloody Sunday
Americans cried over the numerous separate but equal signs in the South and elsewhere
We cried over the separate buses, restaurants, Hotels, second-class status, and water fountains
We cried over all the sittings and the dogs that bit and tore our flesh
Under the cops' beatings and the hurricanes of high-volume water hoses that blinded us
We cried over the institutional racism, the enforced laws that regulated our systems and societies
We cried over all the written and unwritten rules of the Ol' South that snuffed Emmet Till's breath
We cried over Jim Crow, the KKK's unrelentless raids, attacks and fire setting on innocent homeowners
We cried over the courage of a few brave men who stood up only to be wiped out by strong interests
The slavery system and subsequent Jim Crow were all about exploiting the weak for monetary purposes
We cried over the numbing fears that crippled us and made us believe that we could do anything
To change our fate. "Yes, we can now. Yes, we can," Chanted the huge crowd at Grant Park, Chicago
"Less than 40 years after an African American was not allowed to use the same bathroom as a white person,
Sleep in the same hotel, ride on the same bus, go to the same school
Less than 40 years later, our nation showed the entire world why it is the greatest nation on earth
And selected an African American as its 44th President," wrote the blogger
We cried because as a society we finally decided to take the country in a new direction
We are suddenly filled with a new source of optimism
And feel ready to rebuild and tackle our pressing problems
New strengths are needed in the face of two wars, a sinking economy,
A warming planet, a troubled healthcare system, energy needs, foreign policy issues,
Financial and housing crisis, and credit crunch
Suddenly, American's day of celebration and euphoria gave way to reflections
Dr. Martin Luther King would be rejoicing over this new day
Nelson Mandela congratulates Obama and the American people
"your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream
Of wanting to change the world for a better place."
Indeed, hope has won over racial prejudices in this history-making presidential campaign
The rest of the world has just witnessed the determination and power of this great country
Yes, we have overcome! Yes, we have overcome!
We have reined in the dark forces and have overcome our prejudices and conquered our own fears
The last glass ceiling has just been shattered once for all in the U.S.A.
Indeed, the Blacks of St. Domingue were right for fighting for freedom and political independence in 1804
"Freedom and progress know no boundary."
The biggest assets of the U.S.A. are her children
Blacks as well as Whites, Hispanic as well as Asian or any other ethnic group
No child should be left behind.
We cried over how far we have come. This is a collective sign of relief.
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