YES WE CAN! YES WE DID!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA!!!

As a mother of two young black boys, it means so much for me to see them have Barack Obama as a president. I mean this historic occasion is important for my baby girl too, but the image of black men and "the black man" is so often negative that it is a challenge to know whether your boys are self-aware and acknowledge that there are no limits to what they can be if they try and put their minds to anything...WOW!

Today, and these last 18 months have been a true testament to that ideal. I mean, for a man, to come from such humble beginnings and from such a disadvantaged background to build himself up, without the traditional political machines that create other public figures, and to learn from his mistakes and past failures and perfect the game....WOW!!

He's no Messiah and by all means I am well aware that he has a long road ahead of him and change will certainly NOT come overnight. Nonetheless, it is truly awe inspiring to witness the way he has been able to mobilize and energize so many people in this country and around the world. For 18 months, he has been at the center of many debates and discussions in my various email circles and around the water cooler. He's turn apathy into empathy and political action for many who had been educating themselves, getting involved, volunteering, spreading the message, and doing whatever they could to usher the much needed CHANGE that we need in this country.

I am hopeful for tomorrow and prayerful for his safety because Lord knows the seeds of hate sewn by the RNC, McCain, Palin and the Hannerty's, ORileys and Limbaughs of this world are also out there festering.

I was privileged to have made my small contribution to the cause when I traveled down to Richmond, Virginia on Tuesday with a friend. We endured an all day steady downpour of rain and getting soaked. I had to sneak little naps sitting on the toilet in the bathroom of the precinct I was assigned to monitor and just hang out in the warm bathroom to stay dry. I and the other 4,000 attorneys who volunteered to monitor voting practices for the Obama campaign did it because we did not want a repeat of Florida 2000 or Ohio 2004.

After 16 hours (including driving up there and back and spending 12 hours at the precinct), I was so elated to learn from a friend who woke me up at 11:05 pm last night, that it was the oringial confederate state of Virginia, good old Dixie, that delivered the deciding vote for Obama!

wow! That is all I can say. WOW!