“I was already proud to be an American, but it sort of gave me some validity on the promises that have been made about one nation under God with liberty and justice for all,” City Councilman Willie Ed-mondson said Wednesday. “Most black people are very patriotic. We served in the military when we were second-class citizens and we fought for this country.”
Blacks provided most of the labor that built the White House, he said, although they probably never thought a black person would occupy the Oval Office.
“Now it’s almost like, ‘OK then, we’re going to show you that we are fair, that this is the land of the free and the home of the brave,’ ” said Edmondson, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in West Point.
But people shouldn’t expect things to improve overnight, he said, because “it took us eight years to get the economy in the shape it’s in now, and it’s not going to turn around in one or two or four years.”
Edmondson said he didn’t think he’d see a black president in his lifetime and “for the first time, I feel this is a land of equal opportunity.”
Ann D. Gray, president of the local NAACP chapter, said she was “very elated” by Obama’s victory.
“I wanted to cry,” she said. “My emotions were very high. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced the emotions I felt on election night.”
Gray said she only wishes her grandmother, who died about 10 years ago, could have witnessed it.
“She had always said an African-American could never be president of the United States,” Gray said.
But “the hard work has just begun,” she said. “We can’t just sit back and relax and think one person can do everything.”
Bruce Griggs, director of Operation Correct Start, a youth mentoring program, said Obama’s candidacy will go down in history as “the most magnificent campaign ever.”
“They threw everything in the book to get him to crack and he came forward with character, a humble spirit and stayed focused on the issues,” said Griggs, a talk show host on WAOK radio in Atlanta and owner of Blues Alley Lounge on New Franklin Road. “... As Americans, we’ve turned the corner a little bit.”
LaGrange Mayor Jeff Lukken called Obama’s election “an incredibly historic day.”
“Even though I was not an Obama supporter, this morning he’s our president,” Lukken said. “The nation is facing several crises and he needs everybody’s support and help in getting through these times. He’s now the captain of our ship and there’s no reason to be working against the captain. ... I won’t agree with everything he does, but any group of voters who are frustrated by the outcome of the election and drop out of the process are no longer relevant to the future of America. So all of us need to stay engaged to assist all of our leaders.”
The mayor said McCain and Obama were tied in the polls 30 days ago, but the faltering economy and financial crisis on Wall Street were associated with Republican leadership, even though Democrats and the financial industry itself are also to blame.
“I thought it was an election of historic proportions,” said County Commission Chairman Ricky Wolfe, an Obama supporter. “It reminded me of the election of John F. Kennedy in 1960.”
He said the challenge now will be to keep the public engaged in governmental affairs.
“I hope it’s not a one-time thing,” Wolfe said. “I hope it will continue. I was also so impressed and encouraged by the number of young people who showed sincere interest in the democratic process by their participation.”
He said he has nothing but respect for McCain, but “Obama is more capable of articulating a message of hope, which evidently resonated with millions of Americans at a time when this country desperately needs hope.”
When it became evident that Obama was going to win, Troup County Democratic Executive Committee Chairman Jane McCoy said she “felt like I had witnessed the most significant event of my life and perhaps even the lifetime of my children.”
More than 250 volunteers in Troup County worked for Obama and other Democratic candidates, she said.
“Now it’s important for the two parties to start dialoguing with one another to arrive at a mutually rewarding outcome,” McCoy said. “We’ve had too much frustration and lack of representation and now it’s time for us, both parties, to show superior leadership and proceed with representing the people.
“It’s not about the individuals we elect, it’s about the people. One reason I admire Barack so much is that he’s always very cautious not to speak in terms of ‘I’ and ‘me,’ but more like ‘we.’”
She said McCain’s chances went down the drain because of his constant references to “Joe the Plumber.”
“Novelties such as that have a shelf life,” she said. “It’s like fish – after three days it gets old.”
Betty Bruce, chairman of the Troup County Republican Party, said she’s interested to see what Obama will do.
“The sun came up this morning,” she said. “It’s not the end of the world. I’m not crying about it. We’ve been through this many times before.”
She said President Bush and the Iraq War played a large part in McCain’s defeat.
“Do you think Iraq is worth one of your children’s lives?” she said. “I don’t.”
Joel Martin can be reached at jmartin@ lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 235.
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