To the editor:

I don’t know why I didn’t realize how tired and bored I was with the unending stream of white men in dark suits that have been prowling the White House and the hallowed halls of government.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I like white men— I’m married to one, I have one for a son, and some of my best friends are white men.

But last night when the election results started rolling in — Obama, women winning the Senate and the House, women governors — I understood the depth of the void we’ve had in this country. I felt a rush of adrenalin, a sense of forward movement, an excitement at the diversity on the TV screen that we haven’t seen before.

This isn’t about African Americans vs. whites or women vs. men. It’s nothing less than the eruption of a profound sense of empowerment for all manner of disenfranchised voters, people in this country who didn’t think they were somebody‚ or that anyone cared; Latinos, Cubans, women, blacks, poor whites, young people.

The streets were full of revelers last night in gatherings resembling revivals. Will this new sense of Yes We Can prevail, or will people go back to their apathetic mode of existence?

This is our opportunity for lasting change if we, all of us, relentlessly press Congress and the White House on the issues that have stirred so many. We must not squander this historic moment.

Linda Morris

Langley