By The Sellers Group
Chapter 3: Christopher Woods
Thanks Obama
President Barack Obama is the coolest man on the face of the planet. For eight years I watched him remain calm and collected in the face of adversity from Congress, other world leaders, and the general public. While peers of mine wanted to see Obama get mad and "pop off" at the Republicans, or police officers, or the NRA, he never did that. He remained his authentic self which is a man that believes that hope, integrity, and respect for self and our fellowman will ultimately bring us to a better place as a Nation. To some this may seem weak, but I argue that it takes much more strength to remain poised in the face of opposition rather than allow your emotions to get the best of you.
No President will ever have an administration free of error or miscalculation, but I truly believe that President Obama had and still has great love for this country and its citizens and did what he could to try to make lives better for as many people as possible. Before his campaign in 2007 I was completely uninterested in politics. I still think it's an arena full of hypocrisy and backhandedness, and I don't anticipate there being any real progress in many areas that I'm passionate about; nevertheless, seeing then Senator Obama campaign on a platform of hope and "change we can believe in" filled me with more pride than I ever thought I would feel about this country.
I cried the night he won the election in 2008. I watched millions of people across the world celebrate the election of a man who clearly would be a different type of president than the world had ever seen before. The fact that he wasn't too arrogant to properly pronounce Pakistan left a lasting impression on me. This was a man that had respect for other people and other nations and wouldn't promote American exceptionalism to the detriment of the greater world.
Eight years later I cried again during his farewell address. While I was filled with emotion during his entire speech he didn't say much I hadn't already heard from him. What broke me down was when he turned to his wife and said in front of the Nation and the entire world "Michelle LaVaugn Robinson, girl of the South Side" and had to pause to hold back tears. I lost it. I saw Malia Obama wiping tears from her own eyes as her father, the President, told the whole world how much be loved his best friend, wife, and mother of his children.
I thank President Obama for giving us First Lady Michelle Obama. She has been nothing less than elegant, graceful, and poised in the face of all types of unwarranted disrespect. She genuinely cares about our children, our troops, and the citizens of this country. She deserves all the praise in the world. His daughters Malia and Sasha have grown into beautiful young women.
For eight years there have been no scandals, no mistresses, and no treasonous activity. While I never expected President Obama to change the worst about this country it was enough for me to watch him perform his duties as an educated black man with an educated black wife and beautiful daughters that set an example for all Americans to be proud of. Thanks, Obama for being authentically you.
Photo Credit: Lee Chapman