On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama was announced as the President Of The United States. I remember that night like it was yesterday. My mother let me stay up late that night to see the very first African American become President. My mother was in tears, having migrated to the U.S from her home country of Equatorial Guinea when she was only 12, this meant so much more to her than I could possibly imagine. As I've grown older, I finally understand what it was like for her to see a fellow African become President of the United States. To finally be represented in a country that is fighting a history of racism and hate. It was that moment that all we realized that 'Yes We Can.' Whether you are American on paper or American at heart you felt the doors of opportunity open the night Obama was elected.

The next day, at my middle school, filled with kids of all ethnicities and from different upbringings. We all came together and sang the Obama remix of A Milli in the hallway, rocking our Obama t-shirts with big smiles on our faces and bright futures in our hands. That was the impact Obama had on young America and throughout his Presidency, alongside the First Lady Michelle Obama they have both kept that same energy.

I want to thank the Obama's for giving every minority a sense of hope and pride that it doesn't matter what skin you're in, you can do great things. For sending a message to the whole world that Black people are a force to be reckoned with, that the strength of our ancestors carries with us and because of that, whether we come from the suburbs or the projects, our intelligence and our will to fight is no match for the evil that continues to work against us. Thank you, Obama, for making America a place of love, where no one should fear for their life because of who they want to lay next to or unite in matrimony. Thank you, Obama, for improving the economy and making healthcare accessible to those in need. Thank you for protecting the rights of women, LGBTQ+, minorities, immigrants, workers, persons with disabilities, etc. Thank you, Michelle, for being the most elegant, graceful, sincere and overall badass First Lady ever. Thank you for bringing awareness to girls' education and encouraging young girls and women to study in fields like math and science, where they haven't always been so welcomed. Thank you, Sasha and Malia, for giving young black girls another role model to look up to. Thank you, Malia, for reminding us that 'blowing gas, clapin' ass and attending class are all things that can be done simultaneously'. Thank you all for representing the black family in it's purest form despite the stereotypes and the faults in our system. Lastly, thank you for allowing me and thousands of other black people to be unapologetically black these past 8 years. I can't say that I agree with everything you've done while in office but I know you did your best and that you were willing to put aside your own beliefs for the sake of the people.

Inauguration Day is coming and I've never felt so emotionally unprepared in my entire life. When it was announced that Trump would be the U.S President for the next four years It didn't feel real. As the numbers were coming in there was a moment of acceptance along with defeat. I didn't really expect much from a governmental system that has time and time again proven to its own people that we are not a top priority. No matter how much we sacrifice ourselves for this country they will always remind us what it was like before they themselves became civilized and reasonable. With The Obama's leaving it's going to hurt, and it's going to hurt for a very long time but to know that we are able to come this far despite our past is hope enough that we as a country are strong enough to get through this.

Thanks Obama!