For the last seven years I have watched President Barack Obama’s State Of The Union speech eagerly waiting on pins and needles waiting for him to speak. I watched it as a supporter, political writer, but most importantly I watched as a citizen of The United States Of America. Last night as I watched President Obama’s eighth and final State Of The Union speech and I have never felt more proud to be from this great country of ours.
If you watched the mesmerizing speech you were probably moved into tears like I nearly was on many occasions. President Obama spoke about a wide range of topics, but what really stood out to me was how he spoke about the future of our country. He urged us not to fear it, but to be hopeful. Hope is a symbol of what President Barack Obama is to me.
I have two younger sisters named Alexa and Giliana, and all they’ve known their whole life is a black President. They didn’t know until they made it to school that every single one of the Presidents that came before him were all white, they had no idea. I remember talking to Alexa, the older of the two, about this when she learned about it in school. She looked so shocked, so puzzled, I honestly can’t find the word to describe the look on her face when she asked me, “Brother, why is Obama the only black President? Has there ever been a Mexican president or Asian president? And why is there no women presidents either?” I really had no answer for her, I didn’t want to tell her that this country was built on racism and oppression. I didn’t want to poison her brain at such a young age, I wanted her to formulate an opinion for herself. So I thought it through and told her, “Well, that’s just how things were back then. Just 50 something years ago black people weren’t even allowed to vote. We live in a much different time now, just look at how that changed.” She processed what I said and what she told me at that moment will stick with me for the rest of my life. “So, one day if I work hard enough I can be the first female Mexican-American President?” There it is, at that moment and time, a 10 year old little girl put it all in perspective for me. She is the person I’m giving full credit for this article because without her I wouldn’t be able to articulate what I really wanted to say.
President Obama not only made waves with his Prison reform plans, Obama Care, LGBT rights and many more ideas but he made an even bigger impact on the youth of today, in other words, our future. When I was growing up I didn’t think I could be The President of the United States of America for one simple reason, because of the color of my skin. I didn’t have someone I could look to and relate to in the men holding the most powerful office in the entire world. None of them spoke the same slang I spoke, none of them grew up in the hood where drugs and violence were, none of them listened to Tupac and Biggie like I did. None of them. Because Of President Obama’s courage and never take no for an answer attitude he made it to the White House, he became the most powerful man in the WORLD.
Like my sister, there is millions of kids now who have hope. They have someone to look up to, someone they can aspire to be. Everyone needs heroes and if you don’t think President Obama is one I respect your opinion, but I also think you are completely wrong. Because of President Obama there will now be more children of color and low income areas with motivation to go out there and be somebody. More lawyers, more doctors, more supreme court judges, more astronauts, more scientist, more of everything and diversity because of one man.
Even though the Republican Party does everything in their power to slander our President’s name, meanwhile simultaneously, trying to do everything to ruin this country, they can’t take away what he has already given us and will continue to for the rest of their lives. President Obama has made me feel proud to be an American many of times when the Republicans do everything to destroy that thought.
President Obama could have cured AIDS, cancer, ended poverty in the world, and solved everybody’s economic crisis and he would still be labeled as a bad President. I’ve come to terms with that and hardly discuss it with anybody because no one can ever agree. As much as I hate to say it, it’s because we still have racism in this country. It’s 2016 and that still exist out here, I mean, just look at Donald Trump’s supporters but that’s another issue for another time. I will say this though, when you end two wars, Bin Laden and Hussein are dead, cut the deficit of the GDP by 73%, unemployment dropped by over 2%, The Dow has jumped over 227 % and millions of jobs created so far in eight years, you did a HELL of a job as President.
To eight great years Mr. President, thank you for everything. For giving us hope, for inspiring a brand new generation of kids and for revitalizing the communities from where you and I grew up in to go out and vote. You were the first President I ever voted for, and I’d do it again every single time.
