Obama...

After the Obama rally in Leesburg, VA

By all appearances it seems as if we are going to have a black man as our president come Nov. 5th. You should still vote, but I'm just going on the polls here (and we know how accurate they are...). Let us go back 40 years. This was before I was born, so I'm not speaking from any personal recollections, here. But 40 years ago, MLK was shot dead and this country endured one of it's most tumultuous years in history. On April 4th, scores of people gathered in the Shaw district of DC, at 14th/U, and slowly, the masses became angry, and what started as a gathering of people turned into a riot, lasting several days, demolishing about 1200 buildings and leaving about a dozen people dead. But a week from this Tuesday, a mostly reborn DC, will gather around the polls and assist in electing the first black person (ok...half black, half white) to the office of the presidency. I don't know that anyone would have come close to predicting this could happen a year ago, much less, 40 years ago. But here we are on the precipice of something historic, forget what you think about his politics.

This must be progress on some level, right? 40 years ago, a black reverend was travelling the country, rallying the masses for equal treatment for all people, and was shot dead for it. Now we have a man who, it appears, will become president.

Just yesterday, I had the opportunity to take pictures during a roundtable discussion by some folks who graduated Douglass High School in Leesburg VA. They were the last graduating class from an all-black Douglass High, in 1968. Again, 40 years ago. Do I have to reiterate, 40 years ago, there were still all-black schools in VA? So these men and women recollected the 30 mile bus rides, and the shock of reality when entering desegregated colleges, but they moved forward and I couldn't help but think I have absolutely no idea what they went through. I can't think at all how that must have been. And it wasn't that long ago.

Obama rally in Leesburg, VA

So yes, we have some tough times going now with the economics. But think about it. It wasn't so long ago that there were laws in place keeping people separate because they had a funny color of skin. And a week from Tuesday, there is the very real possibility that we'll be electing someone with funny colored skin to run the country. So despite what your retirement account may be telling you, there really is some light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how dark it may seem.