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This is our moment, not  just because we won, but the way we won. There’s a lesson in last night’s victory for all of us.

If you have a good plan or a good idea or a good dream, you set a goal and keep your eye on the prize. You are not taken off of your game by haters, doubters and naysayers. You surround yourself with people who believe in you. And you don’t stop until you succeed.

There were so many times during this race where we all could have believed that it was no longer worth the fight. Voter suppression, voter intimidation, long lines, trickery … but we didn’t quit.  Like soldiers, we marched forward together. We stood up and were counted in the crucial battleground states and the states that mathematically had little impact.

When you lived through adversity, or your parents or grandparents have, you don’t run from it. You run toward it. And through it.

So, now we know for sure that we count. We matter. We have power.  We are game changers. We can elect presidents, governors and senators, school boards and block club captains. We can make a difference. We won’t always win, but we will always be a force.

Black people, young people, Latino, the disabled, gays … these are the people that gave President Obama the push he needed. This is what America looks like, whether you like it or not, and now it can’t be denied. The Republicans have some work to do. And so do we.

But right now, it’s okay to bask in the victory.  Just don’t lose your job doing it.

I’m exhausted, but it’s a good tired — the tired you feel when you’ve completed a task, when you’ve crossed the finished line, when you’ve done what someone said you were too weak to accomplish.

I think this Facebook post from Keisha Cook sums it up nicely:

Mr. Joyner,

Thank you kindly for 866-MY-VOTE-1.  My sister, who is a disabled vet, waited in line for an hour. Once she made it to the front, she was informed that she was not on the list to vote there! Mind you, she has voted there for the last three elections. She became frustrated and upset. I encouraged her not to give up! I remembered that you had a hotline, and I gave her the number. She was informed that her designated voting place had been changed! She was able to go home and get some comfortable shoes, food and water and head back out there!

Keisha’s sister didn’t give up, and neither did we.