All across America and beyond its shores, viewers huddled around screens and listeners crowded around radios to hear Barack Obama’s acceptance speech on the evening of November 4, 2008. Every person watching and listening had their own reaction to the speech and perhaps an even stronger reaction to the moment. For me it was a moment of euphoria. You see, I was born in Ghana and after six years in England I came to the US at the age of 11. My introduction was a harsh one as I was met by the struggles and hardship of Black America in Washington D.C. Ever since that initiation, I have tracked my American identity to that of Black America’s and as a result I have basked in the opportunities which that position has afforded me, but more times than not, I have combated the barriers it has presented. So on that evening, I stood in awe of the moment and the possibility it represented.
Leading up to the evening, there were a number of election-night parties advertised and all looked tempting. Additionally, my phone was abuzz with vibrations as the major networks announced the winner on the night of the election. I chose to stay home that evening, not to shun my colleagues but because I wanted to enjoy the moment in solitude, I wanted to be left alone with my thoughts and emotions. I also did not answer any phone calls, in fact I only made two phone calls once the winner was announced – I called my five-year old nephew and my thirteen-year old nephew. I explained to them the magnitude of the moment as I saw it and discussed the individual pressure they had now inherited as constituents of a generation for whom the dream had become a reality. They now had to discount all excuses in the face of the possibility which Barack Obama’s presidency had now actualized.
This historic moment was great for me, for my generation and generations that came before me, but in my eyes it was most significant for the generations still in their infancy and future generations to come.
-Carl Asher, President Minority MBA Association
MBA Class of 2009
caa139@psu.edu