Watching the Presidential Election returns at R Place
History worth waiting for
History worth waiting for
While McNeil has been voting since she turned 18 years old, she was amazed at all of the other people who turned out to vote. “People came out to the
polls that I never thought would come out, people who never thought about voting who are in their late 20s and 30s and 40s who never voted,” McNeil said.
“They felt they never had a reason to vote. Black people have never come together united peacefully to do anything. We did that today. I am truly, truly glad to
see that it has happened. If anyone had asked me if they could get a ride, I would have given it to them. It wouldn’t have been a problem. I have never seen
that many Black folks at a polling place before and I started voting in 1988. I’ve never seen it and I came from Chicago. I didn’t see it like that in Chicago. To
see it now in a largely Caucasian populated state, that is huge. And it is good to see it. We showed up and showed out.”
McNeil is thrilled that America has elected its first African American president, but her commitment to Barack Obama is more than skin deep. “I believe in
everything that he says he is going to do,” McNeil said. “I’m looking forward to it. If there is any way that I can help, I’m for it because I believe. I have a 17 year
old daughter about to graduate from high school. Barack Obama is talking about opening up the flood gates. I want my daughter to be a part of that. I wasn’t a
part of that. I struggled to get to college. And it is extremely imperative that my daughter be a part of that. Barack Obama is going to do good things for this
country. And I’m just glad a lot of people took the opportunity to take their chance on him. We couldn’t get any worse off than what we’ve been in the past eight
years. We’ve already reached rock bottom. The only place we can go is up. So if Barack Obama is going to pull us up, I’m right there for it.”
McNeil has a lot of policy initiatives that she believes Obama will work on. “I hope he changes the health care policy,” McNeil emphasized. “I really want
him to change how everything is going for the younger generation as far as education goes. Our seniors are suffering. I’m one of the people who probably will
never see any part of my Social Security although I have been paying into my Social Security since I was 16 years old. I think he could possibly turn that
around. I want to see the economy come back up. I didn’t think that we would ever see the things that I was told about from my parents and grandparents as far
as the Great Depression goes. We’re starting to see some of those things happen that happened to them. Hopefully, he will be able to change that and bring us
out of the recession that we are in.”
And in addition to the policy changes that she wants to see Obama work on, McNeil’s outlook on life has changed. “What Barack says empowers me a lot,”
McNeil emphasized. “He makes my will to continue on a lot greater. He gives me the hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that I’m not just treading
in shear darkness. At the end of the tunnel, there is going to be something there, for not just me, but for my daughter and her kids. There is going to be a
positive change that is going to better everyone.”
And McNeil knows Obama can’t do it on his own. “I cast my vote,” McNeil emphasized. “I hope to help other individuals feel the empowerment that comes
behind what it is that he is going to do. I’ll start there. It’s a lot that we have to do as people, as Americans. I can’t wait to see everything come together. I feel
confident that he can do it. And whatever it is that I have to do to help support him, I’ll do that.”
But while McNeil feels that Obama is for all of the things that she is for, she is also on a high because he is the first African American President period. “I’m
just about speechless at this point,” McNeil said. “It’s surreal for me. I’m living in the moment. I’m lasting completely on adrenaline. It’s history. We have an
actual Black president.”
polls that I never thought would come out, people who never thought about voting who are in their late 20s and 30s and 40s who never voted,” McNeil said.
“They felt they never had a reason to vote. Black people have never come together united peacefully to do anything. We did that today. I am truly, truly glad to
see that it has happened. If anyone had asked me if they could get a ride, I would have given it to them. It wouldn’t have been a problem. I have never seen
that many Black folks at a polling place before and I started voting in 1988. I’ve never seen it and I came from Chicago. I didn’t see it like that in Chicago. To
see it now in a largely Caucasian populated state, that is huge. And it is good to see it. We showed up and showed out.”
McNeil is thrilled that America has elected its first African American president, but her commitment to Barack Obama is more than skin deep. “I believe in
everything that he says he is going to do,” McNeil said. “I’m looking forward to it. If there is any way that I can help, I’m for it because I believe. I have a 17 year
old daughter about to graduate from high school. Barack Obama is talking about opening up the flood gates. I want my daughter to be a part of that. I wasn’t a
part of that. I struggled to get to college. And it is extremely imperative that my daughter be a part of that. Barack Obama is going to do good things for this
country. And I’m just glad a lot of people took the opportunity to take their chance on him. We couldn’t get any worse off than what we’ve been in the past eight
years. We’ve already reached rock bottom. The only place we can go is up. So if Barack Obama is going to pull us up, I’m right there for it.”
McNeil has a lot of policy initiatives that she believes Obama will work on. “I hope he changes the health care policy,” McNeil emphasized. “I really want
him to change how everything is going for the younger generation as far as education goes. Our seniors are suffering. I’m one of the people who probably will
never see any part of my Social Security although I have been paying into my Social Security since I was 16 years old. I think he could possibly turn that
around. I want to see the economy come back up. I didn’t think that we would ever see the things that I was told about from my parents and grandparents as far
as the Great Depression goes. We’re starting to see some of those things happen that happened to them. Hopefully, he will be able to change that and bring us
out of the recession that we are in.”
And in addition to the policy changes that she wants to see Obama work on, McNeil’s outlook on life has changed. “What Barack says empowers me a lot,”
McNeil emphasized. “He makes my will to continue on a lot greater. He gives me the hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that I’m not just treading
in shear darkness. At the end of the tunnel, there is going to be something there, for not just me, but for my daughter and her kids. There is going to be a
positive change that is going to better everyone.”
And McNeil knows Obama can’t do it on his own. “I cast my vote,” McNeil emphasized. “I hope to help other individuals feel the empowerment that comes
behind what it is that he is going to do. I’ll start there. It’s a lot that we have to do as people, as Americans. I can’t wait to see everything come together. I feel
confident that he can do it. And whatever it is that I have to do to help support him, I’ll do that.”
But while McNeil feels that Obama is for all of the things that she is for, she is also on a high because he is the first African American President period. “I’m
just about speechless at this point,” McNeil said. “It’s surreal for me. I’m living in the moment. I’m lasting completely on adrenaline. It’s history. We have an
actual Black president.”
| Jenean McNeil (r) intently watches the election returns at R Place on South Park |
By Jonathan Gramling
Jenean McNeil took care of business on November 4. She worked and voted in Sun Prairie
and then she came down to R Place on Park to watch the election returns after beginning the
night at the Genesis Enterprise Center’s election party. McNeil’s gaze rarely left the big screen
flashing the latest election returns. While Barack Obama had been elected the first African
American President of the United States a couple of hours ago, McNeil was still taking it all in
and intently keeping track of the Senate and House races too.
McNeil hails from Chicago where she learned the importance of being involved politically
from her parents and grandparents. “I’ve followed politics all of my life,” McNeil said. “That was
a big part of my educational process with my parents and grandparents. Those are things that
we sat up and talked about and debated right there at home. So for me to see this and be a
part of this is really important for me. And I just really feel good about it.”
McNeil noted that getting to this point wasn’t easy. “My grandfather and two grandmothers
worked extremely hard,” McNeil said. “My grandmother was born at a time when women didn’t
have the right to vote. Black people didn’t have the right to vote. That’s important to me that
every chance I get to exercise that right, I make sure I do it. It’s big.”
