by Randy Wilson

So, it actually happened. And while I live in a place where my views cause me to feel more out of touch with the views of mainstream Americans, the results of the election were validating. But more significant than that, to see the jubilance on the faces of men and women who look different from the President Elect and more like the faces I see every day, provided a sense of hope that this president will help us to heal our open wounds of ignorance and bias. 

The morning after the election, I woke up my oldest son (who is five) so he could see the results of the election on TV. To a child who has not yet been tainted by the lens of racial differences, explaining that his first exposure to a Presidential election was a historic one- was a poignant point in time for me. At that moment, knowing that I would have to explain to him the plight of the Black American (and that his father identifies with that journey) was overwhelming. I was overcome with the thoughts of how difficult it has been for us as people to get to this point. Despite the progress that has been made overtime, which has moved many of us from bias based in a race to a bias based on socioeconomic class, we still maintain many deeply-rooted views of what is acceptable.

And while I know electing a black man is only a step, it stands to reason that both of my boys, discovering their own multiracial makeup, will have something to identify with that is more than the label others will give them based on the way they look. It also gives me hope that they will never understand – and never have to utter the words, “not in my lifetime.”