The Obamas. . .

Hey Bonners!

First I wanted to let you all know a little bit about my mission statement. I really feel like the most important "values" that I can support and work towards are equality, justice, and knowledge. The three tribes that I chose reflect this- civil rights, education, and socioeconomic equality (ok, so I made that one up; originally I had down 'the poor'). I believe that these issues and values all need to go together and that is something I am willing to work for. I believe that we need to restore and create justice and equality in our society, increase the levels and availability of education, work tirelessly until all segments and populations in the world have civil rights. Only then can we begin to create a just, equal, and classless society. This is my mission statement, although I couldn't really explain it in 1-2 sentences.

Next I wanted to talk a bit about the election. I watched the coverage on CNN for a few hours on Tuesday at my friend's room in Hines, where she lives on a floor with mostly freshmen. After they announced that Obama won at least 20 people all over her wing ran out of their rooms, screaming and hugging each other. It was really amazing to see how excited young people all over were at the news. It was also great to see people's reaction in Kenya and across the world when they heard the news. People all over really supported Obama and see him as a symbol for all that can be achieved in America. I don't want to get into a discussion about how valid this view of 'the american dream' is right now, although I did talk about it in my wealth and power class today. I want to focus on how the election of Obama was and will be a source of hope and pride for people all over who perhaps have not ever had the chance to have their voices heard. When I was studying in South Africa and Namibia last semester, so many of the people I met already supported Obama, before I even knew much about him. The Democratic Party had not even chosen a candidate yet but almost every single person I talked to over there were hoping almost against hope that he would become our next president. I really loved being here to see and listen to a bunch of our freshmen students cheer and yell, but at the same time, I would have loved to have been back in SA and Namibia, to share that with them.

For my CLA I coach two Lego League teams made up of 4th grade students at North Albany Academy. One of the team's name is the Blizzard Wizzards (we are doing a project on climate). The other team is the 4th Grade Nightmares. This team though was originally split between being known as The Tigers and The Obamas. These fourth graders actually knew enough about politics and what was going on to suggest this name! Both my site supervisor and I loved this suggestion, but we eventually decided on the Nightmares so the whole team would be happy. On the day after the election, my teams and I had a discussion on the election and the candidates and, once again, I was pleasantly surprised to hear what they had to say. They might have just been repeating what their parents were saying but at least they were interested. I think this was a great thing for me to see and hear since kids' voices are so often ignored in our society, and it was also great for the kids to have a chance to talk about how they felt.

Whatever candidate you supported and voted for in this election, I really hope we can keep up the enthusiasm that so excited people during the past few months. Our job doesn't end after the election. We need to pressure all our newly elected officials to keep the promises they made during the election season. We have a responsibility and a duty to hold them accountable. Make your voice heard!

Peace,
Caitlin