"It’s good to be home."
With that, President Barack Obama launched into his final address as Commander in Chief.
Watching this speech in the dimly lit corner of my dorm, felt almost surreal. After the national tragedy that was the 2016 Presidential election, I suppose myself and many others tucked away the shameful result in a place we could forget about for a little while. I was always painfully aware that Obama administration was coming to an end, but seeing and hearing the President speak tonight truly brought the reality of an America without Barack Obama in the oval office to the front and center of my conscience.
However, that clawing desperation that I felt the night of the election, never reared its ugly head. Instead, all I could feel was overwhelming pride.
President Obama recounted his humble beginnings in Chicago, observing the “quiet dignity” of the everyday American and the power these people held when they came together to make change. This idea continued to flow and ebb throughout the President’s entire speech with the intention of leaving his audience, me, you, the entirety of the United States, with the conviction that our faith and action can be the something that brings about impactful change in the social or political fabric of this country.
He drew from the cores of American democracy with ideas first introduced to us by the Founding Fathers themselves. Touching upon the importance of the freedoms that were granted to us by the Constitution and its ideals, but also reminding us that it is “We the People” that give that dated and historical piece of parchment, power.
I couldn’t help but beam at the shortened list of accomplishments this administration was able to realize. Marriage equality, record breaking job creation, the reopening of relations with Cuba, nuclear negotiations with Iran and the capture and death of Osama bin Laden were just a few of the incredible feats the departing President could proudly say were under his administration’s belt.
Understanding the implications of the next President’s hateful rhetoric and its impact on the future of the country, President Obama drew from the sagacious and enduring words of Atticus Finch to remind us that unity as a people was more important now than it has ever been. That discrimination based on socioeconomic status, religion, race, sexuality, or gender identity is not an outlandish concept left behind in the muddied pages of history, but a reality for people from sea to shining sea. That our generation will be ones tasked to take our pledges of solidarity in the face of bias and turn them in to organization, and political and social action. That our “hearts must [and will] change.”
He brought me to tears when he validated that I, a Muslim American woman, am held to the same American values, and am worthy of the same patriotic sentiment as my fellow Americans.
I couldn’t help but mirror the President’s gratitude as he tearfully thanked First Lady Michelle Obama, calling her his best friend, and speaking for all of us when praising her revolutionary role as a role model to generations of young Americans. He warmed our hearts as he spoke ardently about his daughters, Malia and Sasha, and of their compassion, maturity, and patience over the years as members of the First Family. He turned to his brother, his partner in crime and his Vice President Joe Biden, who, like me, was also on the verge of tears as President Obama recounted their time together as colleagues and as friends. The Commander in Chief thanked his staff, most of them also in tears, for their hard work, endurance, and tenacity from even before he made it to the White House.
As his speech drew to a close, and as I wiped my tear stained face with my pillow, I promised myself this: I would remain optimistic for the future because despair and hopelessness would be an insult to this man’s legacy. A legacy that was built on the dreams of our forefathers, of the immigrants that came to add to the magic that is the American Dream, and of a deeply entrenched hope that reminds us that we can only move forward if we move forward together.
And so I watched the lights from the stage dance across his face, illuminating the face of a man I’ve let inspire me since the fifth grade, and I felt hopeful. I could see that same burning hope reflected onto the faces of the audience.
With shining eyes and an air of finality, the President finished his last address by taking us all back to those three words, the words that launched a historical campaign and eventual presidency. Three words that blessed the United States of America with progression and love and change. Three words we will ingrain into our hearts for the rest of our lives. Because we can overcome, my fellow Americans.
Yes, we can.
