This is going to be a short diary, and I know there have been several stories like this over the last few days, including aaraujo's powerful diary yesterday of the 109-year old daughter of a slave voting for Obama, but this was another one that brought tears to my eyes. At the rate I'm going, I won't have any more tears to cry on Election Night!
Dora Fitzgerald was a 93-year old woman living in North Charleston, South Carolina. She was born in a time before women could vote, and certainly a long time before it even looked possible for an African-American to ever become President.
She wasn't passionate about politics, but she was about Barack Obama.
"She was very moved for Barack Obama’s passion for fixing things, and his articulate way of delivering his message and she just decided she was going to vote for him," said her daughter, M. Fitzgerald.
But she was 93 years old, and her health was declining. But she wouldn't go without completing some unfinished business:
"She said I don’t know if I’m going to live that long, but I plan on sticking around to vote for him," said M. Fitzgerald.
Fearful that November was too long to wait, her daughter sent for an absentee ballot. It arrived last week.
"She made her mark, and we put it in the envelope, my brother and I walked to the mailbox, it was 11 o’clock Wednesday morning and I said Mom its in the mail, you’ve done your thing, Barack’s going to win,’ and she kind of smiled and it was kind of a deep sigh, a sigh of relief, and in less than an hour later, she died," said M. Fitzgerald.
Over the last few days here in the Tennessee blogosphere, we've seen Republicans mocking Obama voters who have strong emotional reactions to finally casting their vote for him. But they only do that because they don't know, and they'll never know, what it's like to have a candidate who is worth all that. One who is worth spending hours and days phonebanking and canvassing for, one who is worth giving your final moments on Earth to cast your vote for.
It has nothing to do with his race, nor necessarily with the policies he espouses. It's because he embodies the "American Dream," proves that it's not a myth.
Do not get complacent, Kossacks. Don't let Dora Fitzgerald's final moments have been in vain.
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Do it for those who never thought they'd live to see this day, and for those who hung on long enough to help make it happen.
UPDATE: Here's a link to the video, I'm having trouble getting it to embed.