Camelot

Growing up I was always enamored by the Kennedys. As a budding politico, full of idealism and obsessed with class and grace, the idea of this grand old family appealed to me. For me, Jacqueline Kennedy was the grandest lady of them all, in her chic, tailored clothing, dainty pearls and flipped, brunette hair, she was one of my earliest style icons, along with Audrey Hepburn, and much later Charlotte York-Goldenblatt. As a little black girl, a liberal and progressive family like the Kennedys were as good as it got when seeking out role models for my path to the type of Camelot I desired.

Last night I laid on my couch in my husband's arms, watching CNN. Barack Obama and his wife Michelle entered a Minnesota arena. He was young, trim and handsome in his suit and she was tall, statuesque and lovely in her shift and pearls. Senator Obama took the stage to the roaring cheers of thousands of supporters, black and white, and claimed his place as the democratic candidate for president of the United States of America. As I watched, I slowly rubbed my belly, and thought of my baby girl who will be born any day now. Overwhelmed, I realized that this is her Camelot. While Jacqueline Kennedy will always be an icon of beauty and humanitarianism, my baby girl may have the privilege of looking into the pretty, brown face of a great lady, and wish for her own place in Camelot as I once did. Sounds good to me. I say, yes we can.