I will always remember the 4th of November, 2008 for the rest of my life. Not because I witnessed a momentous occasion in US history but that I witnessed and indeed felt part of a truly defining moment in the history of the world.
Barack Obama’s sweeping win of the US Presidential Election yesterday re-ignited the hope that millions around the world carry in their hearts for the promise that is democracy. That humans are capable of transcending their differences, rising above race, class, and creed, and acting together for a greater common purpose. That a people that were once bitterly divided over racial equality only 40 years ago can cross over into a new era and elect a black president, and truly deliver on the promise of liberty, equality, and opportunity that is the cornerstone of the American dream.
Obama’s speech last night moved me to tears in a way I had never experienced before. For me and millions of others around the world, America had become a new nation and had shown to the world that it could once again claim its place as the beacon of hope for democracy and its ideals, as a country where the possibilities are limitless. I could now hope that the injustice I had seen the last 7 years in America, mostly hidden away in corners of decrepit neighbourhoods, may one day only be told about in history books as atrocities of the past. I could now hope for an America that views its responsibilities to the world (and the planet) in a radically different way, one that breaks away from the arrogance that has characterized its behaviour this past decade.
The promise of this historic moment was so powerful that I forgot briefly that I am not an American citizen and that my association with this country had only begun a few years ago. But in today’s world, in which we are all global citizens, does it matter that I belong to a land 10,000 miles away?
I realized that I care deeply about what had transpired here in the US because of what Obama stands for and his message to people everywhere, not just in America. I believe that in the decades and centuries to come, people all around the world will be inspired by Obama and this historic election in much the same way people have been inspired by Gandhi and MLK. I say this because I hope that one day the Indian democracy, the largest in the world, will too scale the same heights in what people believe is possible through self-determination in a multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-ethnic country.
Many years from now, I know I will be telling my children about this day. The day that Obama and America reminded the world that there always is hope. Always.
