Nov 4

6:00am. Wake up to leave my college campus and go back home to the other side of town. My mom was SO GEEKED, she wanted voting for Obama to be a family affair. So we all went; before school, before work. My mom, dad, sister and I. It was a cold beautiful morning. When we got to our precinct, the line was wrapped around the parking lot. I had just turned 18 in Feb so I hadn't voted many times before but out of all the times I had been with my parents to vote there had NEVER been a line as long as this one. I guess everyone else was as excited as my mom was. As we got in line we saw all kinds of friends from church, our neighborhood, and the community. While waiting my dad took our picture. Before we went, my mom said she was going to hang the picture that we would take up on the wall but that hasn't happened yet. My sister and I also took pictures on our digital cameras. I was in a sort of nonchalant mood and I felt like I should have been more ardent but it just wasn't there for me (little did I know the thrill would come later after he was actually announced President). I thought "maybe after I vote I will get chills and feel real accomplished" but no, it didn't really happen like that.

Later that night. Sitting in my dorm room with the t.v. on, but on mute. I didn't go to any watch parties because I had a test the next day that I HAD to pass. I didn't want to miss anything though, so while I was studying, I would glance up at the t.v. every 3 minutes. I must have been slipping on keeping up because I heard screams in the hallway and then looked to the t.v. to find "OBAMA PROJECTED WINNER" flashing across the screen. At that moment studying went out the window. I started rejoicing, my roommate started crying and my hall mate was jumping up and down with her hands raised as if she was catching the holy ghost in a baptist church during a revival sermon! We went in the halls and it was even worse. Everyone was rejoicing! Running, jumping, hugging, screaming, you name it, we were doing it all. Then we all got in the elevators to take it downstairs to the lobby where even more people were. The celebration continued. When I returned to my room, I watched Barack Obama deliver his acceptance speech with my roommate sobbing in my ear. I went to the bathroom for a minute and as I was washing my hands I looked out the window and saw firecrackers going off on our band practice field. It wasn't long after that that I found out about the Obama "party" going on outside. It wasn't official at all. It was just something that happened. I had a decision to make. As a freshman band member it was strongly suggested that we either studied or practiced and that's it but that night, I was getting ready to party! I went outside to find a parking lot full of my fellow classmates in good fellowship. We all gathered with a common purpose which was to celebrate the election of our first African American President. It was beautiful. Firecrackers were cracking, music was playing, people were celebrating and everybody was just having a good time. It eventually turned into a parade. since we were in a parking lot, people started piling up in cars and driving through the crowd. I'm glad I put the books down THAT night because it will be a night that I will continue to remember forever. I soon realized that occurrences like that made me proud to be at an HBCU because I know other people weren't so lucky to have the same experience.

November 4, 2008 will always be an imperative part of my memory.