My Dream

By Elizabeth Hashagen

 

He fulfilled the hopes and dreams of generations that lived through decades of struggle for civil rights.  

As the former Illinois Senator raised his hand and took the oath of office as the first black US President --history was made-- and witnessed by the world.   

The crowds of people- so many from Long Island-- felt the need to be there in DC-- to witness history.

"Directly in front of us is a pool that still reflects the dream of a King, and the glory of a people who marched and bled so that their children might be judged by their character's content," Obama said.

It is my child that I reflect on now-- I think this inauguration will have the biggest impact on her-- and all our children. Now our little ones will grow up in a country where a minority's political aspirations can no longer seem beyond reach. There seems to be a feeling in the air that anything is possible--

I'm only in my 30's-- so I inherited the hopes of the civil rights movement-- without having seen its confrontations. I heard the stories-- but never saw the reality first hand. But this moment's significance isn't lost on me-- it fills me now with even more hope for the future-- and dreams for my daughter's reality.

When I held my daughter Allison and watched the President walk with his wife toward the White House--I wondered if Allison could be president one day.

Black men got the right to vote when the 15th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1870, but women -- white as well as black -- had to wait 50 more years for suffrage. Now my dream is that my daughter, in her lifetime, will get to witness another historic moment-- when a woman can become the leader of the free world. That if Allison decides she wants to be President her political aspiration won't seem absurd-- it will seem attainable!

What do your children think of this moment-- Have they grasped the significance? Are they excited for their future? Let me know! 

Comments

[Lacey Troy]

Dear Elizabeth Hashagen,
YOU ARE MY MOST FAVORITE REPORTER IN THE ENTIRE HISYORY OF THE WORLD! I WATCH NEWS 12 EVERY DAY! WHENEVER WE HAVE AN ESSAY TO DO IN SCHOOL YOU AND THE WORD "NEWS 12" WOULD ALWAYS BE IN IT! YOUR BABY IS SO ADORABLE AND MY NIEGHBOR'S AND TEACHER'S BABY HAVE THE SAME NAME! MY TEACHER AND NIEGHBOR'S BABY HAS THE MIDDLE NAME ELIZABETH TOO! I GUESS ELIZABETH AND ALLISON ARE POPULAR NAME!
FROM,
YOUR BIGGEST FAN!

[SUSAN L.RUDNICK]

DEAR ELIZABETH;THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND RESPONSE TO OUR DAUGHTER MELANIES NOMINATION.SHE IS A VERY HUMBLE YOUNG WOMAN AND WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE IMPRESSED THAT I WRITE AND BRAG ABOUT HER EVERY CHANCE I GET ! THAT BEING SAID; MOTHERHOOD IS THE MOST FULFILLING AND GRATIFYING LIFE ADVENTURE A WOMAN CAN EXPEREIENCE.TO BE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A CHILD IS A MIRACLE ONTO ITSELF.I APPLAUDE YOUR BLOGS ABOUT YOUR DAUGHTER.YOU SHOULD BE PROUD AND HAPPY TO HAVE HER IN YOUR LIFE.IF ANYONE HAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS; THEY NEED TO GET A GRIP !ITS TOO BAD THAT CERTAIN PEOPLE CANT BE HAPPY FOR YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND.OH WELL ! KEEP UP THE STORIES ABOUT YOUR BABY: I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING MORE UPDATES AND PHOTOS ASAP.FONDLY SUSAN L.RUDNICK

[Kathleen from Port Washington]

As a mother who has 2 beautiful children, I have to agree that the baby references in Elizabeth's blogs have gotten to be too much. Actually it is getting a bit tiring to see.

No, I don't dislike anyone else's children, but I think that constantly mentioning her child is really just a cry for attention and acceptance.

"Look what I've done"

Yes Elizabeth, so have many others, without begging for self congratulation.

[Ellen]

To those of you who have a problem with Elizabeth writing about her new daughter, here's an idea- STOP READING HER BLOG!... She is free to write anything she wants because it is HER blog- so if you don't like what she chooses to write about then find another on to read as there are many to choose from.

Warren- get a hobby! If you really have the audacity (and spare time) to go through Elizabeth's blog history and count the number of baby references then you need to get out more.

Leave her alone! As Bob said- it is perfectly natural and wonderful that she is so proud to be a mother. She's not looking for recognition or anything for it- she is just sharing her happiness with the world and that is a great thing. I feel sorry for those of you who see it as such a problem because you obviously don't love anybody enough to know the joy Elizabeth is feeling.

[Bob]

I'm surprised at some of the comments here. First of all, this is Elizabeth's first baby. What new mother is not excited about having her first born? And what new father would not be excited. So what if Elizabeth is using her child as a hook for her blogs. Basically she has every right to because what we vote on today and what we do today will affect our children in the future.

To those with the negative comments, either some of you don't have kids or you hate kids or see them as an inconvenience. If any of you are parents, then I really feel sorry for your children. Children are not a burden, not a tax write off and not an inconvenience. I'm very happy to see that Elizabeth is excited about her daughter and she can talk about her all she wants. At least we know she wants to be a mother.

[bubba bill]

caps off warren

[Warren Turnage]

I guess that John (below) needs remedial reading comprehension. Aside from the 2 recent "baby blogs", readers also were able keep track of the upcoming birth with references on 9/25, 8/19, 7/30, 7/11, 7/7 and 7/1.

Thank goodness that pregnancies only last 9 months.

[John]

Some of you might want to get your fingers checked out, because it seems that you're having some trouble counting. The number of blog posts from Elizabeth that reference her baby, including this one, comes to a grand total of...two. And the other one, two weeks ago, was ABOUT the baby, presumably in response to questions you can see in other comments.

And while I disagree a bit with Elizabeth's premise, here (my previous comment), it's entirely valid to use the kid as a hook into the topic she wanted to talk about.

Is anybody griping at Shari for daring to mention her kids in her sledding story?

And hey, if it bugs you that much, there's about a dozen other postings here that pat us white folks on the back for electing a black man that don't so much as hint at Elizabeth's daughter...

[Warren Turnage]

Actually, I think that Joan S (below) makes a very valid point about the constant baby references in Elizabeth's blogs. I has gotten to be too much.

Maybe Elizabeth thinks she is the only one to ever have a baby and work for News 12. Sadly she's wrong - there have been and will be many others.

One of the first rules of journalism (and one that Elizabeth has yet to learn) is when writing, or reporting, to take yourself and your feelings out of the story and just report (or write) objectively.

BTW - "president bubba bill": Take the caps lock off your keyboard. It's poor writing style.

[president bubba bill]

JOAN S. SOUNDS LIKE A REAL BIAATCH. PROBABLY HAS NO KIDS OF HER OWN. SCARES OFF EVERY MAN WHO COMES CLOSE WITH HER NASTY DEMEANOR (probably a lesbian)

[Joan S.]

Is it remotely possible for you to write a blog without a reference to your new baby? It's really getting a bit tiring to read.

Yes...we all know you had one,(how could we have missed it, since EVERYONE at Cablevision other than Charles Dolan has mentioned it) but frankly so have thousands of other mothers, teenagers too. Trust me - It's not the greatest achievement in the world.

Let's get back to some interesting original thoughts without shoving the "baby card' down our throats.

Leave your legacy by doing something for society, not adding another member to it.

[elizabeth]

Susan you should be proud!!

[John]

Ah, there's nothing more heartwarming than a rich politician, backed by bankers, becoming President. A real riches-to-riches story that any of us can duplicate...

Here's the thing: Obama's skin color is irrelevant. No President's skin color has been relevant, except during that dark time in our history when the establishment refused to let any diversity in.

Why have we not had a black President before this week? Because the relevant candidates were divisive cretins like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, who continue the traditions of slime like Marcus Garvey rather than heroes like Booker T. Washington. And Obama comes from neither tradition--he's a politician, and his father's homeland doesn't enter into his rhetoric.

So, will Allison have a chance to become President? To be honest, no more than Ken Grimball does--no offense to one of my favorite reporters, by the way, who'd probably do a fine job. Winning a race isn't about race or gender, it's about connections, media presence, and money to run the campaign.

If we don't like that answer (and I certainly don't, as you might guess), then let's change it. Start picking at Obama's decisions and choice of appointees (tax-evading Geithner and unconstitutionally-appointed Clinton, for starters--both the very sorts of "Washington Insiders" he told us he didn't want involved) instead of swooning over the color of his skin.

That'll be the real racial victory, when we can stop pointing out that he's black (technically, mixed race) and treat him in exactly the same way we treated the Bushes, Clinton, Reagan, Carter, and so on down the line.

It's also worth pointing out that Obama might NOT be our first President of African descent. Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge were all accused of hiding black ancestry. Of the five, Harding acknowledged the possibility and Coolidge even embraced the idea in his personal life. And, of course, the Congressional Black Congress named Bill Clinton the first black President, but that might not count...

[president bubba bill]

if she doesn't become president, she can always work in an autobody shop.

[SUSAN L.RUDNICK]

MY DAUGHTER MELANIE WAS NOMINATED AS A PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL SCHOLAR THIS PAST YEAR.SHE WAS SLATED TO GO TO THE INAUGURATION,BALL AND A LIST OF TOURS WITH THE PRIVILIGED GROUP OF YOUNG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS .SHE IS CURRENTLY A SENIOR A UNIVERSITY PRE- MED AND HAD SEVERAL MEDICAL SCHOOL INTERVIEWS LINED UP THAT WOULD HAVE CONFLICTED WITH THE SWEARING IN OF OUR NEW PRESIDENT ELECT.I WANTED EVERYONE TO KNOW SHE VOTED FOR THE FIRST TIME ,AND WE ALL FEEL THAT SHE WAS THERE IN SPIRIT AS HE TOOK HIS OATH OF OFFICE.GOD BLESS YOU MR.PRESIDENT AS YOU EMBARK UPON YOUR JOURNEY.THE RUDNICK FAMILY OF AMITYVILLE N.Y.

[SUSAN L.RUDNICK]

SUSAN L.RUDNICK