Pebbles on the Mountain Top

When Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Nomination on August 28, he did so forty years to the day after Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. The significance was overwhelming. Today, millions of African Americans are finally knowing hope. Just a sample of stories, via Sullivan and Ben Smith:


From Nebraska:

Ahead of us in line was three-generations of an African American family. It was the first time voting for all three of them. The youngest, who graduated high school last year, was calling his friends and getting them out of bed while we waited in line. He was describing the polling place and giving directions for getting there. After he voted, he had probably the biggest grin I’ve ever seen.

From Harlem:

I'm a 37 year old African American woman. I grew up in Harlem and have lived here most of my life. In the 20 years I've been voting at the same polling place, I've never had to stand in line. Usually there were more election workers than voters. Today is the day that changed. There were about 100 people waiting in line. Most of them were young, old and even older African Americans.


I overheard a conversation one woman was having with a mother pushing her son in a stroller. The mother mentioned she told her son she would be voting for the first black president. His response was, "I want to be a black president too!" The other woman and I laughed. It was not a laugh that ridiculed or dismissed the moment, but a laugh of amazement and delight of the infinite possibilities Barack Obama's candidacy represents to the young people in the African American community.

And New Hampshire:

At breakfast, I sat next to a table of four black students, all of whom had voted. The three men were wearing ties. I asked them why. The answer: It was their first election, and they wanted to mark the occasion.

Powerful stuff. It's only the beginning.