Platon Instagram – colin powell. In the tense last few days of a contentious election campaign between Barack Obama and John McCain, General Colin Powell made a historic appearance on a news program called Meet The Press. He announced that even though he was a Republican, he had decided to endorse Obama [a Democrat] for President. He said that he believed Obama would represent a more inclusive society at a time when America was deeply divided. He said he felt this way because of a photograph he had seen in a magazine. He described the picture in great detail — a grieving mother at her son’s grave in Arlington Cemetery. Her son had died fighting for America in Iraq. The mother’s name was Elsheba Khan, and she was an American-Muslim, as was her fallen son. General Colin Powell described her son as a true patriot who had made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. The magazine he referred to was The New Yorker, and I am humbled to say the portrait was mine. The mother’s grief had touched the heart of America’s first black Secretary of State, and helped inspire him to rise above political division for the sake of inclusive unity. Over the years, Colin Powell and I became friends, and I enjoyed many inspiring and uplifting conversations with him about race, religious freedom and service. He described America as a constant work in progress, and that we are all stakeholders in our communal future. He was gracious enough to appear in a Netflix documentary about my work, produced by my dear friend Scott Dadich. During our filmed photo session, the General shared his bold optimistic vision for America’s society. Colin Powell once wrote me a letter which I treasure to this day. He noted that my portrait of Elsheba Khan had shown him, in a painful way, what America is really about. General Colin Powell, you were one of our greatest statesmen and you will surely be missed. I salute you.