(Community Matters) . . . . headed to DC to celebrate the inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Hussein Obama.
Yes, it’s very significant that Barack is a black man, a multiracial American, and that millions of people who never imagined a person of color in that office during their life time will see Barack become president and will see the Obama family living in the White House.
And, race aside, we are lucky that President Obama and his team will soon be in office to guide us through the horrific challenges George W. Bush and his den of thieves and imbeciles leave to us.
Our youngest god children (Nico & Lauren) inspired Steven and me to get more involved. Kirk, Alexa & Tommie invited me to participate as a fundraiser for Barack, eventually as a national finance committee member – in addition to the national leadership council and LGBT steering committee. So many good friends contributed through me that we raised over $225k. Others contributed over $50k to the inauguration. I’m lucky to attend these historic events as their proxy. And, I’m attending as a self-selected representative of St. James’ Episcopal Church as well as a representative of the Sepulveda, Gomez & Tomlinson families.
Kirk Rudy was the early bird in Austin. I still remember his first call asking for $1,000. I thought, holy cow, he wants me to give $1,000 to someone named Barack Hussein Obama who thinks he’ll be president? I (then) said no, but I trust Kirk enough that I paid close attention going forward. Obviously so did a lot of others in Austin. Alexa got engaged. Tommie invited me and Steven to meet Barack at the Driskill. My cousin, Juan, brought us even closer into the campaign, introducing us to the teams on the ground who helped make the election happen.
Fast forward, on Tuesday the right man at the right time will assume leadership of our country. There are so many reasons why Barack is the right man. He’s extraordinarily smart, isn’t threatened by those even smarter, asks the right questions, synthesizes the information and makes good decisions. The Obama campaign was Barack’s idea. Those inside will tell you, he’s the master strategist – not to take away anything from the brilliant Davids. And, his race isn’t a nonissue, it sends the right message to Americans and to citizens of the world. That America is the first democratic country to elect a minority member as its CEO is historic, and it signals that Americans are resuscitating the American dream.
Community Matters 