The Day After November 4th...

Wednesday November 5, 2008

History was rewritten last night in the election of the 44^th President of the United States. For the first time in the more than 200 year old history of the US, an African-American man has become the Commander in Chief. He has promised change, he has promised new winds in the economy, he has promised new health care standards, he has promised many things; however the test will come when it is time to deliver on those promises.

There was much celebration and jubilation in the streets of many US cities once the verdict was announced. Many had remained silent throughout the anxiously awaited results of the latest US presidential election. Many African-Americans wept in the streets, calling the victory a dream come true for them. It remains to be seen if the victory will truly be a victory and bring about the change as promised.

There are many challenges ahead for our newly elected president. Struggling economy, wars in far-flung places, health care concerns, environment concerns, and many, many others. He has promised the American people that we will see change with his leadership. He has promised the American people that we will see our economy bounce back and our savings begin to build again. He has promised the American people that we will work on the environment concerns shared by many nations around the world.

The harsh reality? Promises are only pretty words until they are acted upon and kept in good faith. It doesn’t matter that the newly elected president has made all of these promises to the American people during his campaign. What matters is that he keep his word and acts accordingly to bring the change to this nation that was promised. He’s promised the goods, now the question is “Will he deliver?”