I have no intention of turning my blog into a political blog. I'm usually quite private about my political and religious leanings but when I heard this speech by Barack Obama I knew that I could not keep silent.

When Princess was 4 months old, this nation elected George W Bush as president and I cried. I could not believe that I had brought a child into a world where people, lots of people, believed he was the right leader for our country. Ok, so the post partum blues and a colicky baby probable had a lot to do with the tears, but still... Bush. Really?

That was when I was still learning what real fear was. Fear was something I didn't really understand until I had children. The huge vulnerability you feel when world events swirl around you and you have no ability to protect your child was still new. So, in response to that fear, I fled. I stopped caring about politics. I buried my head in the sand when we went to war. When family members would discuss some inane thing or the other that Bush and his administration was up to, I walked away. While our civil rights were restricted and environmental protections rolled back, I looked away. I felt powerless.

When Bush was re-elected it didn’t hurt. I was apathetic and numb; I just didn’t care anymore. I felt powerless. I felt that our government, democrats and republicans alike, had sold us all out to the corporations and the only thing that mattered was profit.

Sad but true.

But lately I have felt a reawakening. My son makes me be involved. I can bury my head in the sand when I have to be able to stand and make a difference for his future. Sure, I worry about my girls too, but in this world, this country, they have an unfair natural advantage. They are white. My son is a member of the most oppressed group of people in this nation.

My son makes me want to change the world and Obama gives me hope. Hope that change can happen. Hope that there are other people in the world that feel like I do. Hope that maybe, little by little, this country will become a safe place for ALL of my children.

I don’t know if I have ever heard a political speech, even once in my life that left me in tears. This one did. If you haven’t heard it yet, please take 30 minutes and listen, really listen to this man talk about the racial issues in this country. It’s kind of scary to hear a politician nail down the issues so openly and honestly. No promises that it will all be ok, just the truth. It’s amazing.

posted at 10:38 AM  
Labels: Transracial Parenting