There is a picture that has been a part of my gallery for many years now. It is a picture of the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Hussain Obama. I never imagined that I would put a picture of the president on my wall. I remember in the old days when people would put pictures of Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy on their walls, I actually thought that was strange. If you are an Obama fan you may be familiar with this photograph. It is the one that appeared on Ebony Magazine. Obama is getting out of a black vehicle, he is wearing a pink tie and sunglasses, and he is part of a feature of men called “Black Cool.” Yes the brother was and is cool, and those who liked, loved and admired him are missing him already.
I never thought I would feel this way about a president. I think many of us feel this way because the 45th was so unexpected and not what we bargained for. The 48 months to come are going to be interesting, to say the least. My sincere advice to everyone is to stay well, save money, become involved in your community and know your political representatives. Be vocal, go to meetings and, most importantly, vote in each and every election.
Last week, many of my Facebook friends requested that people change their profile pictures for Jan. 20 to pictures of Obama or his family. I complied and so did many others. It was exciting to see the different photographs each of us selected. There were so many to select from, everyone seemed to have their favorites. Surprisingly, I did not select the “Black Cool” photo, I selected a recent of Barack and Michelle, and then another photo of him by himself.
I was trying to think what else I could do to honor the 44th on Inauguration Day. I was in Washington, D.C., last November and I went to the White House gift shop. I bought a lot of things that day, such as a new coffee mug with a picture of the 44th president of the United States on it. I took it to work on Jan. 20 so I drink my coffee out of it. And then, I thought I should wear my other purchase. My Hillary Clinton “first woman president” sweatshirt. Those were marked down and you know I love a bargain. I was trying to picture our dress code in my mind and I think we are not permitted to wear political t-shirts in the work place. I decided against the sweatshirt. Instead, I wanted to once again thank Barack for being such a good man, not bringing any scandal to the office of president, for loving his wife and children, and for being the best president of the United States. I never thought I would see a Black president in my lifetime. Who would have thought he would become part of an American legacy and a man considered as “Black Cool.”
(Email the columnist at debbienorrell@aol.com)
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