Obama Makes History

November 4th 2008 is an epic day. A day that I will remember forever. A day that will be marked in history. Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States! Barack Obama is the 1st African American President of the United States. Barack Obama is our voice of hope and change.

As President-elect Obama said so eloquently last night, “our stories are singular but our destiny is shared.” I couldn’t agree more. In today’s interconnected world, America can’t do it alone. He reminded us that this election is not change itself; this election brings the opportunity for change. He challenged us to "summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other." His powerful and inspiring words moved me to tears and I couldn’t have been more proud to be an American than I was at that very moment. YES WE CAN!

I find it incredibly enriching to experience this moment within the International and multi-national contexts. From this distance I get a good world view. I see how this election effects more than just Americans. Discussions on the significant impact the American election has on the world and questions regarding voting systems and electoral colleges arise. Media saturation stretches beyond the East and West Coasts and spreads across pages of PNG newspapers. It’s all abstract for PNG, the idea of market crashes and bailout plans. The idea of a near two year campaign trail is also abstract for PNG and smaller countries. The elections in Holland span a single month. In Australia, where mandatory voting is implemented, the elections trail for one year. Elections in Papua New Guinea, using a rank voting system of your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice of candidates, cannot hide corruption and often times leads to administration disputes. In Mt Hagan last week these disputes resulted in the burning of the Provincial Administration Building and bridge to the town. For my Italian friend, I can see how he is skeptical of one person bringing about change when there are new political officials elected each year in his country. But isn’t that what is great about America, our freedom and our ability to change? Not all are skeptical. My Spanish friend said she was moved to tears by Obama’s speech.

Viewing the questions of race and gender elicited by this presidential race within a developmental context intensifies its significance. CNN and their “magic wall” of touch screen statistics indicated that Obama and the Democratic Party won in less southern states than during the Clinton, Gore and Kerry campaigns. I am not a political analyst, but I believe this indicates certain levels of concern. At the election party tonight, my Italian friend critically questioned the Papua New Guineans celebrating in the streets. He challenged the idea of their celebration of a black man winning the American Presidency calling it racism. Through my eyes I see their celebration as an opportunity to dream. They see that there is a country out there --call it America-- that is filled with millions of white Christians who voted freely to elect a black man, son of a Muslim, to be their President. I see it as a promise that there is a place in the world where such a thing happens. With Obama's background, including his upbringing in Indonesia, he is able to understand the problems faced by poorer countries. This glorious epic makes America stand again as the land of extraordinary opportunity and limitless possibilities. I voted for my candidate not due to race or gender, but for the hope he inspires, the vision he shares, and the motivation for change he summons of the American people.

In a celebratory call to my best friend Dre, now living in a Blue State for the first time in her life, we chanted OBAMA! OBAMA! OBAMA! from across the Pacific! It was a wonderful moment in my life. The celebration of Barack Obama as the President Elect of the United States of America is a significant moment across the world!