Obligatory Election Account

Five days before Election Day, I waited three hours to advance vote on the southwest side of Atlanta. All shades of brown people commiserated in a drafty basketball court at Adamsville natatorium and recreation center, waiting to be called into the voting booth. We were just glad to be there at Adamsville Rec Center a building who's very existence was hard-fought. For two years, I watched my father and many old-school folks in the community beg and plead with our divided Fulton County Commissioners and legislators for this thing. In Fulton County, there is a never-ending tug-of-war for equality and parity when it comes to spending, facilities, and community-upkeep in the two halves - North County and South County. I grew up in South County, so of course I'm biased toward it. (Although, I was bused to North County for school for seven years and saw a lot of how they live. I've seen upclose how unequal and broken this county is) No honest person on either side can ignore the disparity between the two - the North gets more and the South is left to justify every bit of improvement. So yeah, my community had to beg for a rec-center. And they got it. And it's where we went to vote.



Back to the issue.... I'd brought a stack of magazines and my iPod, thinking I'd be bored out of my mind, tired and weary from my eight-hours on the job. I was caught off-guard when I broached the entrance to the Rec Center's basketball gym and the entire set of bleachers was FULL of my people - elderly, young, professionals and labourers, some White people, a few Latinos, and in the overwheming majority, Black folks. With the media coverage on early voting, I was already expecting an ordeal of line-standing and loud-talking mess. What I got was a three-hour bleacher sit-fest , reading an Essence magazine, and conversation with my neighbors on the row. A Morehouse student, one of my co-workers, an elderly lady - all three of us were in agreement. The man of the hour was Barak Obama, and we were all voting for him to change our nation. We were voting early to avoid chaos on Election Day, but felt uneasy about the results. Would our votes be counted? Was advance voting counter-active? Would people get out the vote?

The elderly lady, Mrs. Thomas (my grandma taught me to not call grown folks by their first names), was beaming the whole time, repeating what many of her generation have been saying since Black slaves were brought to this land - "I'd never thought I'd live to see the day..."

My co-worker stayed on the phone with her husband, trying to make sure the kids were fed while she tried to vote (hubby would be early-voting the next day).

The Morehouse student was excited because this was his first election and all the talk on campus was about Obama and polling and the media. He was going to an election-night lock-in at Spelman that his girlfriend was helping plan.

Me? Well, I'm dramatic and overly-introspective, so I was just trying to take it all in and keep myself busy. I tried reading my magazine, and assembling a "I Voted" playlist on my iPod. I whipped out my cell and started calling my peoples. I started compiling a list of reasons to vote for posting to my Facebook page. I talked to my bleacher-neighbors, but was only up for so much talking, so I zoned out around 7:30pm.

But then, around 8:15pm, my number was called and I was queued up for a voting booth. After about five minutes, 30 of us were corralled into a large meeting room, where we waited for our e-cards (Georgia has electronic, touch-screen voting) and booths. Once I was in the booth, I realized how LONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG the ballot was and the importance of the election. I'm always a good little student, so I pulled out my little pre-ballot I made on the AJC website. I'd gone there to figure out how to vote in local elections because they had a cool little mechanism for comparing candidates and explaining positions. On my Georgia ballot, I picked some local judges, commissioners, county officers, Jim Martin for US Senate (because Saxby hangs in the wrong circles to me) and voted on a few tax issues. First things first, though, I voted for BHO. After about ten minutes, I checked the final ballot and touched "Cast Ballot" at the bottom of the screen. There no bells or whistles, no orgasmic rush of emotion, no breaking out into song or dance. But I felt good. I left the Rec Center, went home, had lasagna for dinner. When I safe in my fuzzy socks and PJs, ready for bed, I said my little sleepy-time prayer and thanked the Lord. And then, I had a little cry. I couldn't wait for election day just know all this worked.

(My puppy, Benjamin Andre 3000 PJT the 3rd, and my election-day stash ... I was too lazy to run and get the Obama sticker off my car...)



And then.....


IT DID!!!

On election day, I went to work, but got absolutely nothing done, because I was busy checking news websites and talking to my co-workers. I promised cookies for my department the next day if Obama won - Obama Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip for Change cookies. After work, I went to a election results watch-party for my sorority chapter, but wasn't up for it and left quickly. My sister Trace and I went to our parent house and there - with Trace's boyfriend, my gran, my Aunt Shirley, my baby sis, Mum, Dad, and two bottles of champagne - we channel-surfed on my parents big-screen TV. When CNN and ABC called the race for Obama, Tracee caught the Spirit. Mom and my aunt ranted and raved. Kellie and Jon (boyfriend) looked around nervously, trying to soak in the news and watching everyone else's reactions. My Dad couldn't focus his energy anywhere - walking all around the house, rambling, pouring drinks, answering the phone, standing up, sitting down. And I drank my sparkling rose wine and sighed. I was tired and happy and scared and hesitant. My brain went into overdrive:

"Is it true? I can't rest until this is confirmed! Lemme call Mer. Is McCain gonna concede defeat or put up a fight? When is Obama gonna make a speech? Is it true? Are you serious? Mama? Oprah? CNN? JESUS!!! Oh snap! It's real...lemme pour another glass of wine. Is it true?"

Obviously drunk and sleepy...the rest of the night is mystery to me. I think Meredith and I stayed on the phone during the whole acceptance speech. I think I cried a little. I hugged my mom, gran, pop, my dog. I went to bed with mascara on and no scarf on my hair. I couldn't believe it. Is it true?

But, oh, on Nov. 5... (cue "Everybody Rejoice/Brand New Day "from The Wiz soundtrack, run and put on your flesh-colored unitard on and make like Alvin Ailey with me...) I woke up to President-Elect Obama staring at me on all TV stations, continuous replay of the victory speech on NPR, and a stack of newspapers at work - all with his face on the cover. Every blog I read had an entry (or two or three) on the subject. Everybody wanted to talk about and commiserate and commentate and speculate that Wednesday. Folks hated Michelle's dress. Sasha and Malia are getting a dog, so let's argue about it. Black people won. Democrats won. Landslide victory. Bush is toast. The only thing I could do was be happy - it's all I'm still doing. I'm cheesin', ya'll.

God is Good...now the work begins, MR. PRESIDENT.


Things I'm Feeling

• Glass bottles
• OBAMA-mania
• Vegging out with Tracee and Kellie
• Planning my vacay with Mer
• My wrist guard for the computer
• Impending holiday vacation - WHOOO-HOOOOO!
• Tangerines, Tangelos, Grapefruit
• Google Reader
• TrueBlood
• All the eye-candy in Atlanta
  
  

The holidays approacheth. Get excited people, problems or no problems! Hope is here and a change is gonna come. Be easy, breezies.

Listening - Beyonce "Radio"
Reading - A Rather Lovely Inheritance by C.A. Belmond
Drinking - 2 Liters of H20 a day
Wearing - Teal Sweater, Black Slacks, Black Patent Leather Flats, Black Headwrap, NARS Lip Laquer in Medea , huge Silver Hoop Earrings from Claire's