Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Yes We Can..


"They said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high.."
-President Barack Obama, Jan. 4th, 2008

On the evening of November 4th, 2008, I was witness to what I believe is the most monumental event in the history of our nation..



Now, as I thought out this post, I tried to think of all the angles to present this story to you. To talk about how our people have shown the ability to overcome adversity and ban together to make a change. Or how children from now on, of all races can one day aspire to be President. But only one story really seemed to capture the true essence of this moment..

You see, this story is about the sacrifice of these two people, and how they paved the way for my family and helped to make me the man that I am today. These two happen to be Thomas and Lillian Jones, my grandparents. These two, neither of whom graduated high school, scratched and clawed their way through every obstacle thrown their way to achieve a better life for their children and the rest of their family. The fact that they came up in a time where they could not even fathom the idea of there being a black president speaks to how far this country has progressed. And the fact that today, on Nov. 4, they had a hand in re-writing the history books. It gave them a sense that their sacrifices and hard work did not go in vain. And their sacrifice was no more evident then when at 11:26pm, I received a call from my grandmother, just for her to simply tell me that "she loved me." The pride and hope that beamed through that simple "I love you", really let me know how important this victory was to the people who helped set the foundation of our lives..

I say this to you guys because I want you to appreciate what is happening and what we are a part of. But to also realize that things are not going to change overnight. But with the patience and faith of those two in the picture, maybe one day the change that we so desperately need will be manifested in the lives of our children and their children and so on..

But until that day, keep this in mind...YES WE CAN!!



Peace.

-Yeezy

4 comments:

misss_e said...

I love that quote...I love how he said "they". It makes the quote application for any of us in any situation. No more excuses...we either excel or perish. Great post!

Real Talk said...

Ay great post Jeff... I'll be adding to this joint asap.. I was out in front of the white house and on U st. with everybody last night.. most incredible experience of my life dog..

-J.Todd

Real Talk said...

Ay great post Jeff... I'll be adding to this joint asap.. I was out in front of the white house and on U st. with everybody last night.. most incredible experience of my life dog..

-J.Todd

Unknown said...

Yeezy, hey man you got deep on this story. Thanks for sharing your personal account of these historic times!