At her home in the Central West End, civil rights attorney Frankie Muse Freeman sat and watched the 2008 presidential election unfold in front her eyes.
“We have come a long way,” said Freeman, 91, who grew up in segregated Danville, Va., the last capital of the Confederacy.
“I’m not just talking about black people, but all over the world and especially here in the United States.”
Obama’s historic win on Tuesday may have transcended racial lines, but for black people first brought here centuries ago in chains and beat back with dogs, fire hoses and police batons, his victory represents a mountaintop reached.
For people like Freeman and noted activist Norman Seay, who came through the trenches of the Civil Rights Movement, it represents a personal triumph. Obama’s win validates the risks they took 60-plus years ago.
“Eureka! Eureka, we have struck gold!” said Seay, who helped to organize the St. Louis chapter of the Committee of Racial Equality (CORE). Seay, 76, was one of nine protestors, who included William Clay Sr., to spend three months in jail for protests against Jefferson Bank’s refusal to hire black clerks.
“It was all worth it when you think that we have a competent black president,” Seay said.
“It shows that our community is changing. It serves as an inspiration for African Americans to do whatever they want to do.”
Freeman started trying civil rights cases back in 1949. She never expected to see a serious black presidential candidate in her lifetime. She said that alone speaks to the “self-evident truths of equality” in the Declaration of Independence.
Charlene Carruthers, 23, a social work student at Washington University in St. Louis, said an Obama presidency serves as a reflection on where America has been and where it is headed.
“He stands on the shoulders of many,” said Carruthers, a Chicago native who has supported Obama since he won a seat in the U.S. Senate four years ago. “Specifically, with the African American community, it means you can start from humble beginnings and work your way to the top. For little boys and girls, the potential is tremendous.”
Reminiscent of the Civil Rights Movement, Obama’s victory wasn’t achieved by African Americans alone. Exit polls show 45 percent of his votes came from white, college-educated people.
Beyond that, many of his votes came from young people. According to the Edison/Mitofsky Research National Election Pool, 69 percent of first-time voters backed Obama.
“This is a historic day no matter who you are,” said Harris-Stowe State University student Quentin Everett, who was talking with a classmate about the importance of making their vote count. “You cannot go to bed and let this day pass you by.”
All over the country, many, many people waited for hours to cast their votes. Rebekah Shabazz, a HSSU student, woke up at 4 a.m. and waited for two hours at the Heritage House to vote for Obama in her first election.
“I waited longer than two hours to vote for Barack Obama,” the 20-year-old said on Tuesday. “I’ve been waiting for this day all my life.”
André Benson, a social work student at Wash. U., said when it finally dawned on him that Obama had won, he was filled with joy. He said he voted for Obama because he believes he will help pass policies that will benefit his future clients.
“I know I will have to play my role in improving society, but what makes that role easier is government and policy,” Benson said. “Obama will be more effective in passing that social-work-like policy in Congress.”
‘A wake-up call’
Many of the young student voters and civil rights activists agreed that while having a black president is historical, it will not immediately solve the chronic issues in black America. Many African Americans lag behind the overall population in social standards, like health, education, income and employment. Although blacks account for around 12 percent of the U.S. population, 44 percent of all prisoners in the U.S. are black, according to U.S. census data.
“It should be a wake up call for African Americans to change their lives,” Dominic Avant, 21, a HSSU student, said of an Obama presidency. “It means more motivation for African-American males. A lot of us say we didn’t have a father figure, but he is the definition of an African-American role model.”
There are battles that still need to be fought, Freeman said.
“We must keep working,” said Freeman, who at 91 years old practices law with Montgomery Hollie & Associates LLC.
“There is a government responsibility and an individual responsibility to do what needs to be done: to work to eliminate crime and poverty and to get an education.”
Carruthers said, “It’s going to take a joint effort and communal effort. It entails African Americans taking ownership of our current situation and taking collective action.”
Benson said that while an Obama victory does not guarantee everything for black America, it does provide hope for a better tomorrow.
Benson said of Obama, “America, we still have a ways to go, but he himself provides hope.”