Tears of Hope

I've been very moved by seeing the response of many African Americans to the election. Watching the tears stream down Jesse Jackson's face on election night, listening to Colin Powell describe how he wept unabashedly and then choked up on camera, laughing with Will Smith as he recounted his reaction.

And my co-worker, Kim, telling me that her dad, who is suffering from dementia but who knew very clearly that he was voting for a black man for president. And my brother-in-law, wishing only that his dad was still here to do the same.

I remembered, too another incident, when I was in New Orleans in 2006 with a group from my church. We listened to two women who lived through Katrina and its aftermath. One, a white woman from the mostly white Garden District and an African American woman, who recounted how she and her family were stopped by police trying to get out of the city and were told that the next town over didn't want any n%^^$#s in their town. As we listened, David, a black member of our church (whose daughter is biracial) knelt next to me and cried. I had never felt so ashamed.

I hope David wept on Tuesday, this time tears of joy and hope. And I hope he forgave some, too.