History in the Making.

Let's talk about HOPE.

Hope is when a young Senator from Illinois with the name Barack Obama is a candidate for the President of the United States. Hope is when Obama wins South Carolina by 28 points. Hope is when a Black man is viable for the Presidency of the United States.

Talk about history in the making.

dare to hope.

Today’s my final day in the office. So I’m finally taking the time to sit down, look around and take it all in. It’s the pillars in the office that strike me the most. All of the pillars throughout the office are covered with signatures of the community leaders, staff workers, interns and local volunteers who have spent countless hours working for the cause, the cause that is boldly painted on walls “hope.action.change. Obama ‘08.”

People continue to ask me as I leave, “What did you learn from your time here?” and I’ve been pretty stumped. Sure there are the obvious things: I learned how campaigns worked, I learned how to work 12 hour days, I learned how to communicate my opinion on difficult issues and I learned the importance of civic duty. But those were implicit lessons that I knew I’d learn when I flew out to Manchester. What did I really learn on this campaign?

As cliché as it sounds now, I learned about the Audacity of Hope. In our imperfect world full of imperfect people there is a necessity for hope, a desire and belief of something better. I don’t think that we can live in this world without hope: whether it is hope in the goodness of people, hope in a better tomorrow or hope in God. Unfortunately, these days people are disillusioned by hope. They are afraid to hope because they are afraid of being let down or being wrong, and that fear is paralyzing.

It’s here on the Obama campaign that I once again discovered the audacity of hope. I’ll be honest, before I joined the campaign I was a cynic. I supported Obama but couldn’t bring myself to believe that he could win. I couldn’t bring myself to put my hope in him. But here in Manchester I met thousands of people who had put their hope in Obama, everyone from the staff worker waking up at dawn to assemble the press clips to the single mother who had shown up with her child to volunteer for the campaign. It was remarkable and it challenged me to hope once again. And it was hope that sustained me through the 12 hour days, it was hope that helped me survive the sweltering nights on the couch and it is hope that allows me to believe that Barack Obama can and will be sworn in as President on January 20, 2009.

I double-dog dare you to HOPE.

barack the vote.

Me with Senator Dick Durbin and Senator Barack Obama in Washington, D.C.

hope. action. change. obama '08

terminal reflection: my DC experience

In my life, I’ve spent countless hours in terminals around the world reminiscing of that summer or semester’s great memories. At times, it feels like my life is on constant fast-forward from one summer to another, one terminal to another. So terminals evoke rather bittersweet emotions for me, they remind of the amazing experiences I’ve been so fortunate to have had in my lifetime but also of the multitudes of places and friends I’ve said goodbye to.

So now here I am sitting at the Reagan National Airport terminal waiting yet again for another flight home. Yet as I sit watching people slowly crowd the terminal, it’s difficult to fully realize that my time in Washington, DC is up and that I’m going home.

My summer in DC was outstanding; the city is amazing and the experience was unforgettable. It’s difficult to convey my love for the city to people who haven’t experience it for themselves. To them, my gushing over meeting politicians and visiting historical sites can seem like a fanatical experience quite appropriate for a “power-hungry” city like DC. Rather, I have experienced quite a different city throughout this summer, I have experienced the “historical DC,” the “proud DC,” and the “selfless DC.” Sure, those power-hungry people certainly exist in DC, but the good people have left a much better impression on me. In this city, I remembered the millions of good Americans who have given their life serving this country. In this city, I realized the tremendous impact that a few great leaders have made throughout the course of history. And in this city, I was reminded of the earnest hope and desire a person can have to change this world for the better. Politicians are often written off as sleazy or self-gratifying, but I’ve come to believe that almost every one of these men and women serve because they genuinely want to and can effect positive change for people. Sure, I disagree with many politicians regarding how to best bring about that change, but regardless of their thoughts or political persuasion, I have a tremendous amount of respect for them.

As with every great “experience” I have had in my life, I have considered what it is that I’ve learned during my time in DC. After all, this term experience cannot loosely be attached to any event or period of time, rather, experience requires judgment. Judgment is required to discern what was learned and how I grew, so that my summer in DC is more meaningful than just an event in my lifetime. I’ve learned from this experience the true power of hope and meaning of ambition.

So now I continue to hope. Hope that a Black man can become president. Hope that Asians can be better represented in politics and media. Hope that this world can become a better place. I also continue to strive. Strive to live for more than financial security and power. Strive to live for Christ and on behalf of others.

“There’s nothing wrong with making money, but focusing your life solely on a buck shows a poverty of ambition.” – Barack Obama.