The worldwide jubilation following Barack Obama’s victory Nov. 4 made for riveting, unforgettable TV viewing.
In particular, those election night scenes from Atlanta’s Spelman College, Chicago’s Grant Park and the streets of Harlem showing African Americans of all ages cheering, crying and celebrating the moment. Who can forget the tears running down the faces of Jesse Jackson, Oprah Winfrey or journalist Eugene Robinson?
So often in our own history, we Jews have felt the sting of oppression. We understand what it means to be the “other.” For centuries, black Americans have contended with the same prejudices.
To reach this improbable day must have been electrifying for the black community, and we rejoice with them. Voters proved once again that the United States remains that last best hope on Earth.
We, too, offer our congratulations to the president-elect. Through a tough campaign, he never lost his poise or focus. In that merciless crucible, he proved himself a steady leader.
And thank goodness. He will need all his strength and resolve to face America’s huge, multiple challenges. As one analyst noted, Obama will enter the Oval Office with “the inbox from hell.”
Still, as he has said, he has a righteous wind at his back. This country will unite around its young and charismatic new leader. The world has already embraced him and, hopefully, will once again look favorably on this country.
As always, Jewish American voters weighed in, casting ballots in record numbers, three quarters of them choosing Obama.
Some things went terribly wrong in this election, especially the apparent passage of Proposition 8. Tragically, voters chose to codify bigotry and enshrine it in our state constitution. There are remedies for this, but none will be easy or quick. Achieving marriage equality in this state remains a long, hard slog.
We prefer to take the long view. Like any civil rights movement this, too, will take time. There will be victories and defeats along the way. In the struggle for racial equality, for every Brown vs. the Board of Education and Voting Rights Act, there was a lunch counter sit-in or a blasting fire hose.
But look what just happened. This country, which once embraced the institution of slavery, elected the son of an African as its president. Hope is alive, and so it remains when it comes to LGBT equality.
As president-elect Obama noted in his victory speech, this is not an end, but a beginning. It is always a new beginning in America, and the Jewish community will always have an important part to play.