Obama and ME!

My friend, Kibra calls him "The Great Black Hope" and you all know how I feel. But two nights ago, I got to see Mr. Barack Obama in the flesh. I will explain.

(I must begin by saying that I should've written this post yesterday since this morning I feel a bit tired and am in a bit of a crap mood. Yesterday was just one of those days where nothing really worked out the way it was supposed to both at work and socially and apologies are nice but sometimes you just want things to be easier. Moving on ...)

My glorious gal pal, Isha actually received the invitation. (Harvard graduates just get cooler things than the rest of us.) It was a reception and fundraiser in honor of Barack Obama in New York City. Still not sure who sponsored it but all I can say is that it was some rich black folks, some famous (Q-Tip, Gayle King, Chris Webber), some not. It was a bit pricey ($100 a ticket) and for a moment, in my new thriftiness, I almost said no. My other glorious gal pal, Lauren, who always reads the fine print said, "It says suggested donation." Joy and rapture! After several back and forth phone calls about appropriate clothing for a swanky affair that isn't too slutty, we all came to The Crobar. (I paid $50 by the way. I mean, let's face it. Barack Obama's campaign doesn't need my money. Now John Kerry on the other hand ...)

There are many stories about old friends I saw that I hadn't seen in years because I don't exactly run in the black money scene now that I am doing the arts/non-profit thing. Some boys I met that I don't really think anything is going to happen with but it was still nice to talk to men in suits. But really, the night began when Barack Obama came on the stage.

I literally felt the way a 15 year old feels when they see Justin Timberlake. I could feel myself tearing up. And to be clear, it's not a lust thing really. I mean, he's attactive and charasmatic but he just has so much integrity and really could run this country. Sigh.

He said a lot of things we've heard before. I won't recap. But the most interesting thing about his speech was how different it was in tone because the audience was almost entirely black. All us black folks who have lived the dual lifestyles (white education/black households) know how to change up our speech for different audiences but he really has it down to a science. He was able to speak in this way that you felt like he was a family member.

He urged all of us to call our families and urge them to vote. This crowd was already going to vote so he didn't need to stress that to us but that isn't enough. We all have a cousin Pookie who won't vote unless you call her or pick her up from her house. (This weekend I am going to call my relatives in Pennsylvania, a swing state. I haven't called them in months but if not now, when!) He also pushed us to vote for John Kerry and a few other politicians who are in closer elections than he all over the US. I wrote them down and will list them later on. We don't really have to worry about Obama because, in his words, "I'm going to win my election." Amen.

There were about 300 people there, 100 of whom had $1,000 seats so suffice it to say, I did not get to meet Barack Obama. My friend who works at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund did meet him and said, "Don't feel too bad. It was five seconds. Literally." Well, I am closer than I was before.

(By the way, writing this post has put me in a better mood. Ah, the joys of the blog!)

Comments

[Seke]

Hey Tuckergurl! glad to hear that Obama was all you'd hoped he'd be. I hope you're doing well and having a good week. I am currently in cold, damp London, nursing a cold and surfing the web and missing NY and contemplating the future (sigh). BUT, I'm in great spirits. And of course, I'm rooting for Obama and Kerry and other good liberals.