I talked about vindication in one of my previous entries. I mentioned the impact on the collective consciousness of the African American community. However, I couldn’t help but notice the impact on many Whites, and on other minority communities in the United States – and the world at large.

I was one of the fortunate among the millions witnessing firsthand the making of history in Washington D.C. on the 20th January 2009. I will never forget the cold frigid conditions of that day. I will never forget the clear skies and the radiant sunshine that underscored the near supernatural euphoria that permeated the atmosphere, despite the almost unbearable temperatures. I will never forget the ubiquitous electrical charge that pervaded the senses of all persons present whenever anything Obama or Obama related appeared on the giant Jumbotrons set up everywhere around the Mall.

There were folks present from all walks of life. There were the rugged westerners sporting their familiar cowboy hats, some adorned with Obama paraphernalia. There were Buddhist monks (they must have been employing the mind over matter principle to survive the cold!), Catholic nuns, school children from all over the U.S. and Canada, Native Americans displaying their tribal colours, and ecstatic European tourists – many of them savoring their opportunity to be in America during such a momentous occasion. There were also the avowed Bush antagonists – folks evidently glad to be turning the political page. And then there were the folks like me – hailing from the Caribbean, glad to be the evidentiary bearers of vital history to pass on to succeeding generations.  Hope was the linguistic libation for the thirsty masses that day. But vindication lurked in the subconscious.

I mentioned the Bush antagonists earlier. Many of them talked excitedly about feeling a sense of release from the Bush years and the foreign policies they felt destroyed the true spirit of America. Some even spoke about being able to travel overseas again without being subjected to the anti-American backlash. Some White people present talked glowingly about how they had felt responsible in some small way for the special day because they had voted for the Obama-Biden ticket. This event was a large symbolic stake in the heart of Institutional American racism. The radiant faces of the non-black minorities present all told their own personal stories of vindication.

I remember reading a past article about the impact of the U.S. elections on disenfranchised cultures around the world. The often despised Roma of Western Europe were hailing the American achievement as their own. Many named their newborn males Obama in a subconscious effort to grasp a sense of hope and vindication from their perceived pitiful state. New born males in the Palestinian territories and South East Asia were also named for Obama.

Recent opinion polls taken in America and worldwide on Obama’s current performance seems to suggest that hope and change are still alive in the hearts of minds of persons everywhere. In addition, if Obama is unable to make good on all pre-election promises (well, we know it is impossible to please everybody), his presence on the international stage and his evident flare will always remind us that anything is possible. Yes we can…