This morning, like most of you, I watched the inauguration. As I watched our new President take the oath of office and then his speech I was also taken back to my earlier years.
I grew up in a mixed racial home, my mom white and my dad Hispanic. Both also have American Indian in their background. I have darker skin and the more Hispanic facial structure.
As a child I didn’t know whether my parents were rich or poor, or anything of color or gender. As I grew up my parents appeared to be middle class, they owned their own home and had a car; we took vacations every summer.
When I was in high school I started realizing that I was not the same as most kids, the majority was white, a handful or Hispanic and a handful of Black. Then it hit home when a good friend, her name was Susan, asked me to come over on a weekend day. We’d planned that I’d walk to her house but then she called me and told me that I couldn’t come. When I asked why she told me that her parents had told her I couldn’t come into their house because of my skin color. Even now, just writing this brings back the hurt and shame. I’d always thought myself ugly because I didn’t look like everyone else but this reinforced it.
Later, as I was ready to graduate from college, I went to a career day at Cal State L.A. Being the first of my extended family to go to college I was very proud of myself so I was excited about finding a job. I went to the Pacific Bell booth and saw that they were looking for management. I asked about getting into management only to be told that they were looking for men while I could be a telephone operator. I was so upset; I was not going to be a telephone operator.
I really wanted for Hillary Clinton to win, but when Obama won the nomination I was proud of this country. Someone with color had a chance to be President.
Today watching President Obama speak about our history I cried. I cried for happiness and for all who fought so hard for this moment. While we have much to do, we have come so far in this country. And now someone is in office that, while he is darker than I am, has some color in his skin. Now that is a beautiful thing.
Moving account. I cried also. It's ironic. Blacks and other minorities were and are actively disenfranchised as first class citizens of the United States. Oddly enough, since Kennedy's assassination I did not feel like a first class citizen. My country shamed, embarrassed, frustrated, and for the last eight years, disgusted me. Barrack Hussein Obama's election changed that. For the first time in my adult life, I feel proud to be an American citizen despite our horrific current and historical mistakes and abuses. I feel for the first time the dream of this country has taken a step towards its realization. It is a beautiful thing.
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