by Sheila Koester

Created on: November 06, 2008

Change We Can Believe In

Throughout his long 21-month presidential campaign Senator Obama promised to bring us change we can believe in. The basis for his platform for change can be found in his book The Audacity of Hope. As I ponder the significance of his landslide election as the 44th President of the United StatesI am reminded of the scope and depth of this change and the power that President-elect Obama now has to bring about this change in our nation one individual at a time.

Over forty years ago Martin Luther King addressed the nation with his I have a dream speech. He gave African Americans hope for a brighter tomorrow. I remembered the song they used to sing during the early days of the Civil Rights Movement We Shall Overcome. During his campaign, Senator Obama had the mantra Yes We Can. Can you imagine young African American children running around reciting the following words?

We shall overcome.
Yes We Can!

We shall overcome.
Yes We Can!

President-elect Barack Obama will soon have the power to influence the individual lives of these children for a better tomorrow. He will do so by providing them with an excellent education, qualified teachers, the admonishment to put away the video games in exchange for studying a book, and the opportunity to afford college tuition. Through his future policies as president, he will literally change their lives one individual at a time.

Generations of African Americans have been told no we can't. President Barack Obama will tell them yes we can! What a difference that will make in the African American communities in this nation. No longer will African Americans resort to drugs, crime, and gangs to be successful. They will be educated American citizens with good paying jobs living in comfortable houses that they can afford. Just think of what that means for our nation.

We are living in exciting times and I'm looking forward to seeing the change we need under a President Obama administration. He has the power to bring hope and healing to a nation facing economic insecurity while fighting two wars abroad. Instead of a troubled nation filled with individuals insecure and anxious for their future, we will have a nation of confident and productive African Americans, Caucasians, Hispanics, Native Americans, and other minorities. The United States of America will truly become a beacon of light and hope for a brighter tomorrow.

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