Inspiration
Like vast numbers of Americans, I watched with awe and tears this morning as President Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. It is a remarkable event I never expected to see in my lifetime. I was an adolescent when the Civil Rights movement came of age. I watched television news of non-violent protesters being attacked with Police dogs and fire hoses. I was horrified when the FBI was sent to Mississippi to find, and then confirm the deaths of, 3 young civil rights workers – none older than my brother who had signed up for a “freedom ride.” And, I watched the triumph of one of the greatest legislators the US presidency has ever known – Lyndon Johnson – in passing the Civil Rights Act and, later, the Voting Rights Act. But I have also watched the grinding poverty of inner city communities and the intentional ignorance that nearly 30 years of conservative rule has fostered, only making things largely worse for young African Americans. Rhetorical flourishes such as “No Child Left Behind” give the lie to the slow, inexorable dismantling of government programs intended to address structural inequities resulting from the centuries of slavery and discrimination that is our history. And yet, here we sit with a new President whose parents literally could not have lived in many states at the time of his birth because of their different races. It is truly amazing. But, as Martin Luther King III said just yesterday, his father’s dream has not now been realized. It is still a dream. But it is a dream that now has legs. It is more than an abstraction to say that opportunity to attain the highest office in the land is a real thing. Barack did achieve it, so others can follow in his example. But the obstacles are still huge and will remain so for the next person to attempt what he has achieved. There is so much more to be done, and I can’t think of anyone who is not inspired to redouble our efforts, recommit to our goals, and rekindle our dreams of a world that we would be proud to call our own – just, righteous, compassionate, and peaceful. It is closer today than it was yesterday, and tomorrow, we need to get back to work to help realize that dream.
Also, of interest:
“In Honor of Madelyn Dunham: To Dream from MLK to Obama Inauguration”:
“Barack Obama on the Inauguration”: