If He Is President I Am American

I can hardly believe that Barack Obama is on his way to becoming the democratic nomination for president. A real chance to make change in America. I am so pleased with the outcomes in the past election that I have made a pledge that if Barack become the President, I will finally become an American. I have been living in this country for over 30 years. I was seven years old and it was the late seventies. Even though we could hardly watch television I developed a keen interest in civics and politics and what that represented to me. Living in the Bronx, New York, I saw and heard many things. I saw my middle income neighborhood transformed and become an extension of the ghetto simply because blacks moved in and whites decided to flee to the outer sections of the city such as Long Island and Westchester. I saw the schools that were excellent when I attended because they were still predominantly white deteriorate and become victims of under funding and uncommitted teachers because now there were many blacks. By the time I went to High School the transformation was complete. Schools that were once considered excellent were now considered the worst. 

Healthcare should not be out of reach of any member in the richest nation in the world. This country did not take action in such places like Rwanda, and Darfur, Kosovo. We've had too many police shooting unarmed black men, stacking our prisons with young black men instead of investing in educating them so they will have real choices in life. I got tired of seeing people held down with low wages and slave like working hours leaving no time for family. I got tired of politicians just spouting the party lines tired of the people being treated as if they are irrelevant to the process and candidates just being crowned by party members.

For all these reasons I was not an American. I felt it was the last thing I had to hold on to. I could not pledge to a country that treated people the way I saw the American government treating its people. The recent developments in the past elections have lifted my spirits and hopes for America. Can she be great again? I think so. Barack is the answer to making America great again. If he becomes president then I might become American. We need to make America great again.