Originally published at Blogging Monique Renae. Please leave any comments there.
Don’t forget to send in your submissions for your Free Ad Space. No gimmicks. No tricks.
Yesterday was a very important day here in Texas. A day I was going to be a part of come hell or high water.
6:04 – We left for the school.
6:15 – I got in line.
6:17 – A police officer quickly came out to let everyone know that we were in the Democratic line, and Republican’s had to go elsewhere. About 3 people left the line and I was rather shocked. I live in a pretty ritzy area and definitely expected to see more of a Republican presence. The woman in front of me was waving to her husband who was going to the Republican line.
6:21 – I quickly came to realize that I was standing behind two big bitches. They were actually Republicans who were in line to vote for Hilary Clinton. Their plan was to vote for her to ensure that Obama didn’t win the state. One of them had the nerve to say “There’s no way we can let a black man in the White House”. It took everything in me to not grab her by her blond hair and knee her in the face. It’s 2008… how can people still be racist? Seriously.
6:30 – The two crows continued to yack about their plan and how rich they were. They were there to only vote in the primary because with Hilary as the Democratic canidate, then McCain was pretty much guaranteed to win in November.
6:52 – I reach the voting table. They couldn’t find my information so I had to go see a “judge” for the OK to vote.
6:57 – I cast my vote and they send us outside to find our “group” so we can all gather together to Caucus.
7:08 – As I looked around I was impressed by the number of African Americans… People of Color… Blacks…. whatever you want to call us. It was clear that this election meant something.
7:10 – They told us that the last Caucus had 3 people. This year, we number in the thousands… they don’t know what to do.
7:11 – The presence of Obama supporters is overwhelming. I could count Clinton supporters on my fingers and toes. None of those losers from the line who were voting for her stayed for the Caucus. Thank goodness.
7:21 – You could feel the energy in the air. The excitement of the people who were there trying to make a difference is amazing. There’s a buzz of happiness… Everyone was friendly and happily talking to each other.
8:05 – We had been there for almost two hours, 45 minutes after the Caucus was supposed to have started but people were still voting. They said we had to wait until everyone was done.
8:09 – Someone shouted “We want change” and I instantly got goosebumps.
8:13 – They started dividing the precincts so we could vote.
8:20 – They brought in tables so we could have somewhere to sign our names.
8:30 – Lines began to form and mass chaos ensued. No one knew where to go, the volunteers were new and clueless. It was a mess.
8:34 – Someone in my line smelled. Really bad.
8:35 – We still hadn’t moved.
8:37 – The woman behind me had the worst breath in the world. It was making me nauseas.
8:41 – Still no movement.
8:48 – Still was standing in the same exact spot.
8:50 – They began shouting out instructions which made no sense whatsoever. Everyone started getting pissed and the once spirited crowd became an angry mob.
8:59 – Still standing.
9:05 – I finally took a step.
9:14 – After close to three hours in the polling center, I was finally able to mark my name in ink for Obama. Of all the pages before me, and the many many names I saw, only 15, and that’s pushing it, were for Hilary. I wanted to stay to vote for the delegates but I was hungry and cranky. A part of me now wishes I had stayed.
9:16 – I headed home.
After we got home, I immediately sat down and watching the results on the TV. While I had been out, I remained in close contact with my mother and others who were giving me updates. It was such a devastating blow to see the numbers come in as they did.
I’m not a political person… well I am. I’m political with my friends and my family. I don’t write about it here much. But for me, this election is something so very very important. It’s not a joke… It’s not some HAHA moment. It’s not something for dumb whenches with $400 tiles to go and fuck up for the rest of us. And I am so mad about that. How can our electoral process be such a damn joke to people? I’m so pissed that the democratic party is being torn as it is. I’m so mad that racism is very much alive and well in this country in 2008.
It was over 20 years ago that I was walking home from school, minding my business when a truck pulled up beside me. This man rolled down his window and yelled “Nigger, go back to Africa”. The rest of the people in the truck laughed and they drove off. I had no idea what they meant, or what they were talking about. It didn’t even affect me until I went home and asked my mother. The look on her face told me everything I needed to know… and as she hugged me and told me to not worry about it, I knew it was something I would always have to worry about.
And over the years I did deal with it. I did worry about it.
But none of that hit me quite as much as it did last night standing in that line.
And for that… I am so mad.
Comments on this entry are closed.