A New Day...to be PROUD of America

It's a new feeling to really be proud of being an American, let alone being proud of my country. As I sat in front of the TV Tuesday night anxiously awaiting the results of the election, all I could do was think of my grandfather and father who grow up in the south. I reviewed all the stories told to me by them and what it felt like for them to have to drink out of a certain water fountain or use the back door of a restaurant because of the color of their skin. I thought of what it must have felt like for my father to see this election unfold. I wished for my grandfather to have lived to see this day. I remember falling asleep and waking up to the announcement that Senator McCain would be giving his concession speech and the tears start rolling...

As a Black American, I understand what it feels like to be grateful and proud of a country, who isn't proud of you. I never understood why I was not so quick to drape a red, white and blue flag outside my house or why making a US of A quilt was never a true desire. It hit me the following day, that I never really felt like that flag really represented me as a black woman. Though I was born and live in this country, stand by all of its values and what it means to be an American, I truly never felt like I was really a part of this nation because I was not truly represented. My people were never truly represented on an international level as being apart of this country.

So, Tuesday I became apart of this country, along with many millions of other minorities. This awesome outcome of a people spoken (not just blacks but melting pot of backgrounds) made me really proud to be a United States citizen.