This post is not about gardening, I
needed a space to work through my feelings towards the end of a political era. An era
that has helped shape me, and our country, in many ways. Yet, the garden
is a useful metaphor here.
In the musical Hamilton, as
Alexander Hamilton is about to be shot by Aaron Burr in a duel he is
frantically reflecting on his life. He
states: "Legacy. What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden
you never get to see."
I've been thinking a lot about this
line this week after watching President Obama's farewell speech. What
will President Obama's legacy become? And, maybe equally important,
what will my legacy become? What seeds do we plant that we will never see
grow? It is even worth the struggle and pain to plant those seeds knowing
that we won't see them grow to bear fruit?
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| whitehouse.gov |
It is no secret that this has been a
rough election cycle and outcome for many people. While I know that I will be
insulated from many of the effects of a Trump presidency (by shear random luck of my
position of privilege due to ethnicity and class) many people are
anxiously living in limbo - terrified of an uncertain future. Still, I
was hit hard by post-election grief. A surprising grief and sense of
panic that has reemerged at the most unexpected times. Tears when I look
at my girls and realize what we've lost. Waking up at 2 am, night after
night, perseverating over all the implications that we face.
But, this post is not about
Trump or specific policy positions. It is about President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama and their
legacy.
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| thisinsider.com |
I was 21 years old and
an undergrad at Indiana University, gearing up for my senior year, when I first
heard Barack Obama speak at the 2004 DNC convention. I looked at my
(future) husband and said, "he is going to be the President some
day." In that moment I could see a better America. An America
that I could, and would, become an active citizen in. 2008 came and it
was amazing. I was caught up in the message of change and hope.
I volunteered for the Obama campaign to register voters on the near east-side of
Indianapolis. Michelle made a campaign stop at the school where I was teaching, and watching her speak I was struck by her strength, intellect, and passion. I
attended the Obama rally in Indianapolis- and you could feel love and
hope. It was written on every face.
My husband and I voted early, on a
Saturday, downtown. The atmosphere was euphoric. There were the millennials, like us, eager to participate in the democratic process (many for
the first time), but along side of us in line were so many older, wiser, more
solemn African American men and women. While I was swept up in the
promise of a new America for my generation, I realized that their life
experiences in this country were so completely different than mine. What an
emotional and symbolic election 2008 had become.
I now realize how lucky I have been
to experience young adulthood under the Obama administration. And, how lucky
my girls are to have all been born during the Obama years. We talk about
that a lot - how he was their first President.
Next, we will watch as the
Republican-led Congress begins to undo some of the policies that President
Obama put into place. But, the seeds he planted have already taken root
in so many places. The garden may change, but it can't be completely torn
up and replanted. The legacy is already alive in people like me.
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| White House Kitchen Garden whitehouse.gov |
I remember well when my daughter " Nicole Conrad Nelson " informed me about a young man from Chicago,I also was impressed by thus young man. It has been my pleasure also to see President Obama and his family show nothing but class over the last eight years! Now we all wait to see how much damage the new administration can do to what President Obama has done in his eight years.
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