Hope > Hate

And so there was extraordinary celebration all across the land and much dancing in the streets...

--"At least 1,000 people gathered on Washington's Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House late Tuesday night, shouting "Obama! Obama!" and "Yes we can!" Uniformed Secret Service officers were overheard, saying they'd never seen anything like it."

--"In Boston, Massachusetts, thousands of people -- many of them college students -- hit the streets to celebrate the election of the country's 44th president. The sound of car horns could be heard across the city, CNN affiliate WCVB reported."

--"In Chicago's Grant Park, where police estimated at least 200,000 had gathered to hear Obama claim victory, the crowd erupted in cheers and screams after news organizations projected him the winner."

--"In Seattle, crowds of thousands of people spilled into the streets near the Pike Place Market and on Capitol Hill Wednesday night to celebrate the election of Barack Obama."

--"They streamed into the streets of downtown Detroit -- black, white, Asian, Indian and Arab -- all Americans who were proud to celebrate president-elect Barack Obama and the new America he represents."

--"Six days after crowding streets to celebrate the Phillies' World Series victory, thousands of Philadelphians marched downtown on Tuesday night to celebrate Barack Obama's victory over John McCain."

--"Celebration is spilling into the streets of Newark as New Jersey's largest city rejoices in Barack Obama's momentous election to the White House."

--"After the presidential race was called for Democrat Barack Obama at 11 p.m., motorists driving on Broadway in downtown Louisville honked their horns and yelled "Obama!" out the windows."

--"Sometime around 11:30 Tuesday night, the cheers could be heard reverberating across downtown Ann Arbor, steadily growing louder and louder. An impromptu parade that started on the University of Michigan Central Campus wound along downtown streets as hundreds of students - joined by passersby and others who spilled out of bars - joyously celebrated the election of America's first black president."



--"Two hours later, downtown Santa Cruz was seized by a spectacle of mass celebration as hundreds of Obama supporters poured out from the sidewalks, high-fiving with hands


from honking cars cruising by, hugging strangers and weeping like they must have done on V-E Day."

Source

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I had to call my friends in L.A. to share this moment of history. Joy does not explain the feeling down there, especially in their black community. Wrote one this morning in an email:

Wow! There was screaming and horn honking going on in my neighborhood and I have to admit to being one of the screamers. I have never felt such emotion over a political event – never felt so proud of my country. ... Last night I wept with joy and hope. Now the work begins, but the voyage is so much better when you have confidence in your captain.

Americans of every color, all who believe in progress, are dancing in the streets. An amazing historical moment to witness. And such extraordinary opportunities and challenges ahead. I applaud the younger generation, who had so much to do with this. Let them make a better world than my generation passed on to them.