Toni Morrison's Letter to Barack Obama

Morrison's letter brought tears to my eyes. They were the kind of tears that well up when I feel pride for my country, for when she shows her full potential for having a positive impact on our world, our humanity.

I don't usually activate much in politics, but this election is different. We are at a pivotal point in history. Domestically, a mountain of woes has been piling, teetering; job loss, faltering education, health care - collapse of the middle class. Internationally, we have bridges to rebuild and new ones to found. This time the end result matters more, somehow. For a left-leaning independent, my only "choice" is for who the Democratic nominee will be. It's already been boiled down; Clinton or Obama?

I probably have more time on my hands than many to keep up with the news, read editorials, research candidate records, etc. I haven't. I read the headlines, scan articles, catch sound bytes. As far as I can tell, their positions on issues important to me are essentially the same. Their differences are details that I am not sophisticated enough to fully digest. Both want to change our world for the better. How do I know whom will better represent this country? I don't, but I have a feeling. A feeling that is getting stronger every day.
I read Obama's Audacity of Hope. He exuded integrity and empathy. His central message was clear. Every American shares the same core values, hopes, and dreams with his neighbor. When you dig to the core, we all want to feel safe, earn enough to support ourselves or a family,access to education, a fair chance at a decent, if simple, life. We must remember that we have common goals. Even if we disagree on how to achieve them, we can find a way to reach them together. There is such thing as common good, common ground, if both sides want it enough. And I do. I'm tired of being wrenched from side to side. Having just finished a tour of India, it was not lost on me that his message could carry across borders.
When I finished the book, I was hesitant to wave Obama's flag. Some of his rhetoric sounded too idealistic, naive. As much as I agreed with what he wrote, I wasn't convinced that the rest of America would. My cynic concluded that his ideas wouldn't work; politics would inevitably stall progress. If we lived in a perfect altruistic world, maybe, but we don't. One could only hope...and there it was...I picked up his flag. I am audacious enough to hope, to believe, to dream. If I'm not courageous enough to stand up for my hope, my dream, who will be?

Barack Obama '08