Oh What A Night! Cultural Implications of the Election

"What a Night!" has become more than an evocative rock song. Last night was a dream come true. As a man who remembers vividly the Grant Park street combat outside the 1968 Chicago Democratic convention in stark contrast to last night's ecstatic celebration there for one of the most wildly acclaimed new President's in American history (likely going back to Andrew Jackson); as a man who is a front rank veteran of other street combats with police in the Anti-War movement of the 1960's and 1970's; as a man who has made an over three decade career of advocacy to create inclusive communities of self-determined individuals; last night was the realization of a dream............a dream I still struggle to believe really occurred.

Thank you so much to all the well-wishers from around the world in the previous post sue placed here this morning about the Obama victory. It is wonderful to see how broadly reaching this new spirit is being felt.

Thank you too to our t who took the day off work Tuesday and spent it phoning voters, and passing out campaign literature for Democratic candidates.

I have two primary reflections at this point. First I want to tell you about Carolyn. Carolyn is the cleaning lady who cleans my office each night. Carolyn is a white woman about 40 years old, with little education, who lives alone and works two menial jobs to get along. She and I have become friends. I have talked to her about my agency and what we do. She has actually become involved in some of my agency's advocacy on behalf of expanded disability accessible public transit services, in that she herself is transit dependent. She was at first a little surprised that the Executive Director of the agency she cleans would deign to talk to her, let alone include her in our grass roots campaigns. Carolyn is bright, and generally greets life with a great smile, and is hungry to learn..........I suspect because she's had very few formal educational opportunities in her life.

So last Monday night I was sitting at my desk working, waiting for a meeting that would begin in an hour or so, when she came in performing her work. We talked some and I asked her if she was going to vote the next day, and if she was excited about the election. She said,"I've always voted in every election, but I've never voted for President....until now. I never could figure out who to vote for, but this time I know and I WILL VOTE." I struggled not to tear up and to grab her and hug her.

I saw her tonight and she is clearly still elated about last night's developments.

My other reaction is that this election is in many ways the ending of one era for America, and the beginning of a new one. America has always been the "Great Melting Pot." We assimilated people from all over the world and homogenized them into Americans.....people who pretty much all looked, thought, felt and behaved alike. If you didn't look like most others or behaved differently, likely your life was diminished or worse.

This President, this black president, was elected by a new majority. It was not primarily white voters who elected him although certainly many voted for him. It was not comprised of all educated people, although educated people voted heavily for him. It was not primarily black voters although the unanimity of the African American community and their turn out as voters was historic. It was Latino to a great degree and it was Asian and Native American and, Christian, and Atheist, and Humanist, and Muslim, and Pagan and oh yeah, gay, and legal immigrants and illegals too and............on and on and on.

This majority, that elected this President who looks so unlike any other, was not comprised of "melting pot America." It was comprised of a mosaic of American society. Our day as a homogenized melting pot is done. We are reborn as a multi-cultural mosaic, hugely strengthened in our diversity by the symphonic melding of our diverse gifts and virtues.

This new American cultural Mosaic means that the people I advocate for professionally, people with developmental disabilities, will have far greater opportunity to lead self-determined lives as part of our community than they've ever had in our society. They don't have to become "normalized." They can be appreciated for who they are in the multi-cultural mosaic community.

But more on point for this Blog, those of us with alternative sensual erotic orientations and family structures will have more opportunities to be included and respected in this new America.

My love for my country never wavered but my respect for it certainly did. Today it is reborn and I look forward to the day when I do not have to hide the family in which I live and love.

What wonderful rebirth! Oh What a Night!

Tom

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.