Excuse me for getting political here but I have a few brain cells thanks to a few beautiful coincidences, First, last night was the first of my new agreed upon nights out. AH will exclusively take care of The Girl on Tuesday and Thursday nights if I return the favor on Wednesday nights so he can play music. Indeed! I spent last night in the Duke library furiously typing for several hours while listening to my iPod and it was exquisite. A few hours away sharpens my feelings for her, makes it less of a grind. Plus, she has just turned some kind of baby corner and is much more interactive and content all of a sudden. Last night she went to sleep by herself without her crazy rocking and bouncing routine and slept -all-night. So, so good.
But because I was out last night, I didn't catch Obama's speech on race. The newspaper talked about it this morning in laudatory terms so I just looked up the full text. Allow me to perform my librarian duty and point you to the text here Imagine having a president who can speak like this and address issues without hiding it in a big old blanket of spin. Geez, imagine a president who is capable of putting a few sentences together, something you may not have experienced for 8 years. I love that he hasn't denounced his friends for the worry of public perception and talked frankly about that. Man.
I don't know if you've heard but two weeks ago a student at my university here in NC was murdered in an apparent robbery. She was the student body president, blonde, pretty, vivacious, accomplished. It was very sad and the community has responded in full mourning with memorials, tributes, etc. I have heard a lot about this woman and certainly have seen her face everywhere. And not to diminish her family's loss but when the police announced they had arrested her alleged killers, two young African-American males from my community, my heart sank. Oh no, not from here, a city already dismissed as a bastion of black violence and poverty. Not two young men who probably didn't get access to the food, schools, love, encouragement that she likely received. Doesn't mean they should rob people, kill people - of course not (and I find it very interesting that the pair are accused of also robbing and killing a Grad student from India but we certainly aren't seeing his (non-blonde) face or (non-anglo-saxon) name everywhere) But I've just never lived so close to serious racial inequities and tension - right in the middle of it actually, as a resident of a "transition" neighborhood in a small town of the South. A wealthy stone and landscaped university on one side of town and two miles away, boarded up houses with kids who could never dream of attending this college. As much as I complain about living here, I'm already pretty attached to my scrappy historic little town. Did I tell you I applied to be on it's Citizens Advisory Committee? I didn't think I had a chance - I've just moved here etc. But the City Clerk called me and said it was pretty much a lock, they're just ratifying it in council this week. Why? Because I'm awesome? No. Because I was the only one who applied. Time to put my money where my very big mouth is. I live in this city for the moment - can I make it better? I live in the USA for the moment - can I make it better? Maybe. And because of that, I guess I'll be knocking doors for Obama .