Witness to History!

It's over, finally. Exhale.

I will never forget where I was on November 4th, 2008 when Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States of America. For the rest of my life, the joy, the pride, the relief, and the overwhelming love for my country that has overtaken me tonight, will never fade from my memory.

Emotions are still raw, but it is not about who won or who lost. This is a victory for ALL Americans. Finally a promise is fulfilled. The promise that "all men are created equal". There is still work to be done and battles to win. As Obama said in is acceptance speech tonight, "The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep", but for the first time in my life I think we have a chance to transform our country and the world. I am answering the new President's call for "...a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice...let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other". Will you answer the call with me?

We can not rest easy knowing that we've won. Those that still seek to divide this country into black and white, conservative and liberal, gay and straight, democrat and republican, rich and poor, are not going away tomorrow just because we won today. I guarantee you they will continue to grow, re-energize and emerge in 2012 stronger than ever. It is up to us to remind these dividers that we are also VOTERS! However, we must also remind those currently in power and those elected tonight, including the President-elect, that this election is not a blank check, they too are accountable to us. We must ensure that they do not abuse their new power, that they hold true to their word and that they themselves do not attempt to divide us. We must demand results.

Tonight President-elect Obama said, "This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only a chance for us to make that change". So true. Each one of us has the responsibility to keep the light of hope burning. We can not let inaction or apathy dim the future that so brightly shines before us. We must all stay energized and informed. Write to your city, county, state, and national officials, if you don't know who they are find out (e-mail me I'll find out for you), write letters to the editor, post on blogs, create a podcast, go to a city council meeting, do whatever you can to keep this momentum going. This is our country, we can take it back, it can truly be "of the people, for the people and by the people", but "We the people" need to get involved.

We can, we did and we must!