I took this picture yesterday, to accurately record one week of fall’s relentless march toward winter. The change from a week ago Monday to yesterday is striking. But if I had fudged and taken the picture this morning, just one little day later, you wouldn’t have noticed much of a change. Usually, one day doesn’t make a huge difference.
Unless, of course, it’s a day like today. Election Day. No matter who wins this election,it will result in big changes. Either a person of color or a woman will play an important role in the Executive Branch of our government. For you it may not seem like a big deal. For kids, it’s huge.
Flash back about ten years to my fourth grade classroom. I’d read a book about the White House or the Constitution or some such matter to my students. The fly leaf had a picture gallery of past presidents, and the kids wanted to know their names. When I finished reading them, one girl raised her hand and asked, “Aren’t women allowed to be president?”
I closed the book and prayed for wise words. “Yes they are,” I answered. “It just hasn’t happened yet. But it will. Maybe you’ll be the first woman president.” She giggled. “When you get to the White House,” I told her, “invite your old fourth grade teacher to dinner, okay?” She giggled some more.
Though none of my minority students ever said it out loud, how many of them wondered whether an African-American or a Latino or disabled person was allowed to be president? Probably all of them. But by tomorrow morning, this election will answer one of their questions and usher in a new paradigm for future generations.
Every now and then, one day makes a irreversible difference. Today is one of those days.
