Fashiona

Dear Grandma,

It has  been a while since I talked to you but  I have some  GREAT news. My sister  says hello, she is a lawyer now and looks just like you but with reddish hair.  I look  more like Mom, except with curly hair; thanks for not being upset with me when I stopped straightening it in 1999.

Guess what…today Barack Obama was inaugurated as our first Black President. Yes, I am serious Grandma…he is the 44th President of the United States.

Oh,  I forgot to tell you, we aren’t colored anymore…we are Black now. I don’t know when we were Black officially but it was sometime  after we were Negros and then Colored. We are also called African Americans too.  It is always nice to have choices.

I voted for the first time when I was in college…Dad said you only got to vote once before you died. I thought about you when I went to the polls last year.

I live in New York now; I have been here for 10 years. Your family thought you were crazy when you left Mississippi  and moved to the big city of Chicago before the War. Mom grew up a city too (New York);she and Dad weren’t too happy when I moved here but they said it was okay because you would watch over me.

I  REALLY wanted to leave New York after the 9/11 attacks.  I was really scared and couldn’t sleep for weeks but you told me to stay and keep the dream alive for you. Daddy said you loved Chicago and so do I-but only in the summer time. 

Mr. Obama is from Chicago too. You were one of the first lady cab drivers there, driving well over the speed limit in your high heels no less.  After WWII started,  you moved to Portland to build ships partly because you loved the water and you wanted to help the war effort. I have always wondered why water is so calming to me and why I am at home wearing high heels.

Thanks for not listening to the doctor when he told you NOT to have children…or else I wouldn’t be here.  Mr. Obama doesn’t listen to the word “NO” either…maybe he is allergic to the word.  I think that is a good thing… don’t you?  I prefer to think of “no” as a speed bump; it makes always makes the victory sweeter.

I think you would have loved Michelle’s dress today. Here is a picture for you.

Photo Credit:AP

You did like bright colors and pretty clothes.  I can tell that from your pictures. Oops…was I not supposed to see them?

Anyway, Michelle, the First Lady now, is wearing a gold dress with a matching coat designed by Isabel Toledo and green leather gloves from J Crew. Yes, she does straighten her hair…it suits her.  Daddy said you wore gloves all the time…it was mark of being a lady. Now we ladies only wear them for protection from the cold.

Thank you for being strong and fearless and living life to the fullest.  You must have known that you weren’t going to live for a long  time; you were always in a rush. 

When you chose to be a small fish in the ocean…did you see the sharks, or the big waves or did you know always where you were going?  Maybe you just had faith that things will always work out for the best.

You were always able to see the good in all people no matter what they looked like or where they were from.  You were ahead of your time.  You would love Topaz, she is Muslim…yes Grandma I know God is the same for all of us, we just call him different names.   

You know, come to think of it, Barack Obama is a lot like you.  He is of mixed race…you were too. I guess most of us are melting pots. He refers to us(Americans) as a patchwork quilt… yes we still have yours~it is too pretty to use. 

Mr. Obama  sees a glass completely full when most people can’t see the glass; that is a rare gift. 

I know that you didn’t get to go to college but my parents did and my sister and I did too. I am teaching my first college class next month. I know that you would be happy because education was so important to you.

I just wanted to tell you that you were right about everything. Mr. Obama is the right person at the right time. His grandma went to heaven in November; I am sure you two are great friends already.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr…I know you remember him. We celebrated his  birthday yesterday- it is a national holiday now.   Mr. Obama called for a Day of Service. I am doing mine today.  I am volunteering as a personal shopper for Dress for Success. I will tell you about it later, I am running a little late…got that from you too. 

Before I go, here is a picture of President Obama and MLK Jr. standing next to each other.

Photo Credit:Timothy A. Clary/AFP Getty  Image

It just looks right~don’t you think?

I am sad that I never got to meet you but I think you about every day and try to make you proud. No Grandma…I am not crying, my eyes are just glistening; Southern girls don’t cry~ you know that. I know that God needed his angel back so you had to leave us.  Please help him watch over President Obama, Michelle, Sasha and Malia.

Love always,

Alicia “aka”

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