One Moment in Time: Up Front and Close with President Obama

• by Dr. Joan Hillsman
• September 5, 2013

President Barack Obama, perhaps, will never know what it meant or the exciting feelings that he generated just by having people, especially seniors, live out dreams that they thought would never come true.  Who would have thought of during those  times (those who came through, witnessed, or heard about the struggles of segregation in the South,) a Black president? Well, here we are in the 21st century witnessing great strides as history is being made.  This is a testimony to the young and old that one can achieve their goals if they work hard, stay positively focused, learn from the wisdom of the trailblazers for success, freedom and achievement. Many may have had the opportunity to be in the presence of historical moments with the President of the United States, celebrities, dignitarians, and other significant people in all walks of life. However, it was “One moment in time”, when seniors and people could experience and reflect on their hopes and dreams of Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr. and so many others, that this day would come.  I had the priviledge to experience the jubilation this year when my 80 year old aunt, Alma Goss Burke, who migrated from the farmland of Starr (Anderson County, South Carolina) called me to say that she had stood for about 2 and ½ hours just to see history unfold. President Obama was coming to Cincinnati.  Alma relocated to Cinncinati, Ohio with her family and heard that President Obama would be coming there.  She stated that she was determined to be a part of this history as it unfolded.  As she was standing in line, a gentleman approached her and asked her to come to the front line where the president was coming through shaking hands.  The rest was history as far as her excitement. She uttered words of encouragement to him.  She uttered, “Thank You, God. This is history”. Lee Kye Thomas, my neighbor, a long-time citizen of Syracuse, New York, and hails from a family deeply rooted in the Civil Rights Movement, related her feelings as she was actually” kissed “by President Obama during his most recent visit to our city. She often spoke of her brother, Jesse Epps, who was a resident of Syracuse, and was strongly in the struggle for Civil Rights.  He was heavily involved with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. struggle for justice. Epps, a part of the garbage strike union, was instrumental in supporting Dr. King’s visit to Memphis.  The two ladies, Lee and Alma shared their jubilation while being in the presence of President Obama (via phone) of how they have lived to share and reflect historical moments in time, 21st century as a part of history. This brought back memories to me, as I was a product of the South, coming to Washington, D.C., classmate of then Stokeley Carmichael. In 1963, one of my assignments at Howard University was to attend the “March on Washington” witnessing the “I have a Dream Speech”.  We all encourage this generation and generations to come to plant their footsteps in the sands of time, leaving a legacy for mankind.