Am I proud of Barack Obama?

I'm excited that we are going to have a new President of the United States in less than 24 hours. I don't believe that this man with the funny sounding name is a savior for our country. I'm pretty sure he will make mistakes and at times I will disagree with some of his policy decisions. But it feels good to have someone who, so far, has shown character taking the oval office over. It's nice to have a someone who looks more like me than any president in the history of the United States. Am I proud? Honestly...not really. I'm happy. I'm excited, thrilled even. But am I proud? I can't say that I am. I was raised in a household where thinking there would one day be a Black President of the United States was not strange or laughed at. I was brought up in a household that taught me to believe in myself and understand that I was much more than the color of my skin. I learned that I was a combination of peoples, nations and beliefs. I was raised by two parents who did not have the same advantages or family structure they themselves provided for their children.

Am I proud of Barack Obama? I don't know Barack Obama. I know what he represents to me. He represents the moment that the United States decided to open their hearts and minds. The moment that the United States decided to take a huge step forward and walk down a different historical path. I can hear the faint creak of the flood gate as it begins to slowly open up. Once that gate opens up I doubt it will ever be closed again. This truly is a brave new world we are all about to walk into. You can feel the fear and the joy and the excitement all melting together to become something new and unseen until now. Proud is not the word I can use to describe my feelings about Barack Obama. I'm not sure if the right word exist at the moment to describe my feelings. Perhaps there is some song out there that correctly describes my emotions on the matter.

I find that as this transition moves forward thoughts of my own father fill my head. The pride I feel for him is unending and unapologetic. In this moment in history I am more excited for my father than I am for myself. He cleared the path as best he could and my brother and I were able to walk more freely than he ever was. It's easy to take for granted the sacrifices people make so that you might live a more comfortable life. Poor, young, black male from Detroit makes something of himself isn't a unique story but it is the story of my father. It is the story that helped write me into existence and I am proud beyond measure of the accomplishments my dad has made during his life so far.

So if you ask me if I'm proud of Barack Obama I will say "no, but I'm proud of Benjamin C. Williams." I am excited about the new President beyond words. But I am more thrilled that my dad, who grew up in the segregated projects of Detroit Michigan, gets to live in a country where someone like Barack Obama can become its President. I am happy that my dad, a black man who had two sons with his wife, gets to have a little less weight taken off of those tired shoulders. My dad who inhaled one reality and gets to watch his two sons exhale a completely different one.