An article I really loved about the response to the US elections up here in the frozen north, especially among African-Canadians.
This isn't going to be a very long diary, but an article was just posted on the website of my hometown paper, the Toronto Star, and I wanted to comment on it and share it here.
Columnist Royson James, usually on the municipal affairs 'beat' put out a really great story entitled
U.S. election fever hits GTA: Black Canadians cheer as Obama edges closer
"If he's president for one day, even one day, I'd be satisfied," adds nurse Gwen Sterling, expressing the prevalent fear about Obama's safety.
Though they can't vote, thousands across the GTA are living and dying with the electoral fortunes of the man that, global surveys show, the world hopes becomes president of the United States and leader of the free world.
Some, especially those of African descent, are rooting louder and harder. And they are tapping every perceived advantage.
Even to me, as a Torontonian, this article really reminded what Barack Obama means for people of African descent not only in the United States or even in British colonies, but in every corner of the world.
Black Canadians are nowhere near as large or politically influential a group as African-Americans, but there are more than 750,000 of them across the country. The ethnic composition of Black Canadians is also quite different from their American counterparts, as 62% have Caribbean heritage, mostly from Jamaica. Still, the social problems the two groups face, with underfunded urban schools, community violence, and flat-out racism are unfortunately universal across borders.
If people of African descent have a more intensely rooted interest in Obama's election than most, it's because they feel there's more at stake. For them, this is the universal affirmation of their worth. That may seem odd to progressive citizens who accept all races as equals. But when you've been told in so many ways, for so long, that you're worth less than others, doubt persists in even the most confident. Obama's ascendancy might expunge a few more doubts.
Lecky says she works in the court system, and an Obama presidency could be parlayed into hope for the troubled youths she sees.
"These kids need somebody to look up to and say, `Yes we can.'"
That being said, it's definitely more than just African-Canadians who are excited about the prospect of President Obama, as James also notes.
The exuberance extends beyond the African diaspora. People of colour, progressive-minded citizens, liberals and many conservatives, black and white, sensing a moment of history, are pulling for Obama to beat McCain and end eight years of George Bush and the Republicans.
Decoste and friends plan an election night party at Avant-Garde Bar in downtown Ottawa, with proceeds going to Big Brothers/Big Sisters. They also have hotel rooms booked in Washington.
Similar parties are planned all over the GTA. Itah Sadu, owner of the Bathurst St. bookstore A Different Booklist, says she can't keep enough copies of Obama books on hand; now she's added his pins, buttons, bumper stickers and other paraphernalia. She's also staging a house party for about 30 in Lawrence Heights on election night.
I saw polling during our election suggesting Obama had much higher favourables than any of our actual election candidates, and an 'Obama for PM' website does exist.
Well, I guess I didn't add a lot of content, but I hope that some of you read the article, which has a lot of great quotes and stories about people who a really excited, even though they will never get a chance to cast a vote for Barack Obama.
To close, one final thought. This is one of my favourite quotes from Barack during the election season:
Yes, we can. Yes, we can change. Yes, we can.
Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can seize our future. And as we leave this great state with a new wind at our backs and we take this journey across this great country, a country we love, with the message we carry from the plains of Iowa to the hills of New Hampshire, from the Nevada desert to the South Carolina coast, the same message we had when we were up and when we were down, that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we will hope.
While Barack was obviously focusing on the primary states, remember as you cast your vote, whether in early voting, or on the big day itself, that your vote not just counts for the hope of people on the streets of Chicago or the rural badlands of North Dakota, or wherever you happen to be, but for people, men, women, children and seniors, all across the world, from Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal to Kingston and to Freetown, to Nairobi and to Basseterre. Even when you get down because of negative ads and smears, poor media coverage and annoying talking heads, remember there are millions of people all over the world who would love to have the chance you have. Thanks, and Go Obama!