Why Vote for Obama?

 Dear Editor:

A friend of mine recently asked me if I was going to vote for Barack Obama simply because he was black. Later that same day, I received this e-mail which summed it up better than I had:

A white man asked his black friend, \’Are you voting for Barack Obama just because he\’s black\’?  The black man responded by saying, why not?  Hell, in this country men are pulled over everyday just because they\’re black, passed over for promotions just because they\’re black, considered to be criminals just because they\’re black, and there are going to be thousands of you who wont be voting for him just because he\’s black!  However, you do not seem to have a problem with that!

 
This country was built with the sweat and whip off the slaves back, and now a descendent of those same slaves has a chance to lead the same country, where we weren\’t even considered to be people, Where we weren\’t allowed to be educated, drink from the same water fountains, eat in the same restaurants, or even vote, so yes, I\’m going to vote for him!  But it\’s not just because he\’s black, but because he is hope, he is change, and he now allows me to understand when my grandson says he wants to be president when he grows up, it is not a fairy tale but a short term goal, Because he sees, understands, and knows, he can achieve, withstand, and do anything just because he\’s black.

L. Howards

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