Monday

Remembering your first time!!

Your first time! Ummm! Do you remember it? Have you had it yet? I sure remember mine! It was quite some time ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember acting like I was "the man", because it was important for me to approach the event like I knew what I was doing. I walked in confident, maintained my cool, double checked that it was a private moment, and I never let on that I was a bit nervous. All the while, I was trying to remember everything I heard and learned because I knew once I committed, there was no turning back. Once I got in and made a couple moves, the fear began to subside and then it was all down hill, I glided right through the process.

You may be wondering why I'm sharing this. Thinking, he could have kept that to himself. Well, I decided to share this after reading a local newspaper article and found out that a few celebrities have been sharing their first time as well. I found their interview on the web and I really enjoyed it, the way they described it made me feel like I was right in the room with them. It was so good, that I just had to put the video here for all of you to check out. I know it's nothing like doing it yourself, but believe me, you don't want to miss what they had to say about it!


[click "play" (the arrow button) to watch]

I know what ya'll were thinking, but now that you got it straight (not to mention, your minds out the gutter), everybody needs to go out and do it tomorrow! Don't be shy and don't make excuses. Do what you need to do to be a part of the process. Don't be overly concerned about all the foul events that happened in the past. Let's go out there and make it happen, even if it turns out that tomorrow is your first time. No matter what, just make sure you go and vote!

Remember your first time: Women's Voices. Women Vote

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember my first time but what I remember most was my grandmother's first time being able to vote. I couldn't have been more than 4 years old and she dressed me in my "church clothes" and together we walked the 8 or 10 blocks to Charles Houston Elementary School where she cast her first vote ever. I think it was because of this trip with her that I vote every election even if there isn't anything major going on.

Two years ago, my daughter was able to vote for the first time. She was a freshman in college so we planned to go later in the day and then to dinner to make a big thing out of it.

It angers me when I see Black folk not participating in the process. If they only knew or understand what was lost (particularly in the South) so that everyone could have the right to vote I am sure (or at least I hope) they would view it differently.

I typically am at the polls when they open and though in DC (a very large democrat voter base) the primary pretty much dictates who will win the general election I will be there bright and early to cast my vote.

Anonymous said...

If I remember correctly - my "first time" was in 1988 when I voted for Jessie Jackson in the presidential election. I was very happy to cast my first presidential election vote. I was into the campaign watching and I liked Ron Brown the then democratic chair. It was cool. Of course Jessie lost, but i felt he brought up issues that normally would not get talked about. Perhaps Obama will benifit from the tracks that Jessie laid down one day... i doubt that 08 is the time - as this country is still very racially polarized. Generally speaking, white folks only vote for people of color if there is something definite in it for them... which is usually punishing some other black person or agenda. See the Bosley vs Harmon mayor's race in St. Louis years ago. The white South Siders voted Harmon in cause he was their guy, then 4 years later promptly dropped his a&^ to the tune of less than 5 thousand votes in favor of Francis Slay... (of Lebanese descent but that's not talked about - his politics are white enough) Didn't mean to go on the rant - but i guess these are my voting thoughts for the day before....

Sheletha said...

My very first time was in elementary school. I voted for Ronald Regan. It was a mock election that was teaching us the different branches of government and the election process. My parents had a funny look on their face when they found out child was a Republican! They were laughing at me and I didn't know what was going on! They kept asking me why I liked Ron, I really didn't know, it wasnt like I was following his platform. His campaign just appealed to a childs eye. I quickly had a lesson on the election process that wansn't taught in school.

Sheletha said...

my real first time was in college...there wasn't a story to that one...

Saadia said...

All I can say is...good thing I watched the video first, or I would have been sharing too much information.

Sheletha--I voted for RR in a mock election, too! I think I was in middle school, though.

My first time for real was in college. I went with my Dad. I can't explain the pride I felt when I turned in my ballot. To this day, I take my civic responsibility very seriously.

Rich Fitzgerald said...

I'm waiting for someone to be overzealous and actually go there. Now that would be funny.

Anonymous said...

Rich-you took me there. I was totally in the gutter, with the topic of "my first time". I was ready to tell you all about this looser guy "Tony"; however we are discussing the first time I took a stand and voted. I was a freshman at Univ of Florida and super naive. This group approached and downloaded the right to vote ABC's and the history of the NAACP. I felt obligated to the black race or somewhat intimated to vote. I have been a voter since the summer of 1986.

Lance said...

i feel ya g-g, wif dis dial up, i can't see the video and from the first two paragraphs, i was just about to jump to comments and "let y'all kno' the deal"...very gutterlicious, i must say....

but, good thing i kept on readin'. i don't remember the first time i voted, but i do remember in 1990, i took my five month old daughter with me into the voting booth and WE both touch the voting level to select harvey gantt to defeat jesse helms for the u.s. senate in north carolina. gantt didn't win, but however, it felt special knowing i had my daughter a part of voting into an historical moment.

Dawnya said...

I remember my first time!! I was so excited, I had just turned 18 a few months earlier. I thought I was the bomb. I just knew my one vote was the one that would make the difference. I'm not sure if it did, but Clinton won.