Today we inaugurate the 44th President of the United States of America. What is unique about this event is that this President is African American. Now i'm going to give you a second and let that sink in. America, the land that slaves helped to build. America, the land that sought to hold down minorities for a large part of its existence. America, which to a large degree holds some racism in its heart, has elected a Black President. That in itself should be a historic moment.
I say should be historic because i don't see this singular event as historic. I see it as a continuation of historical markers in the evolution of the existence of the African American. It is fitting that this inauguration takes place the day after the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I see this as the continuing revelation of his dream. The dream that he spoke about on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The dream that galvanized a nation of African American men and women to work towards establishing their place in American society. They would have never in their wildest dreams thought that they would see a man in their own image being sworn in as The Leader of the United States of America. They never would have thought when Martin was shot on that balcony in Memphis that they would see this. Out of the blood that was spilled on that day onto the soil of America grew the seed that was the Audacity of Hope. This seed has now germinated and bore the fruit that we now watch on the television today.
I was asked if this was what Lincoln envisioned when he freed the slaves. I laugh at this sentiment because Lincoln did not free the slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation, though a glorious document, did not do anything special to further the plight of African American slaves. It was a military measure to demoralize and destabilize the rebellious South; it covered states he did not govern, but did not apply in slaveholding states that remained under his control. This is the same man who said " there is a physical difference between the white and black races, which....will forever forbid the two races living together upon terms of social and political equality." So, no i don't think he envisioned this. I dont think that he envisioned that there would still be a United States at this point.
The man is about to become a page in the history books. I hope people realize that he is not a messiah. He is a man. A man coming into control of a nation facing some of its worst times ever. I pray the people give him time to work. I pray people do not think that the minute he steps in office all our ills will go away. The mess that we're in was not made in four years and it won't be cleaned up in four years. His Presidency will be under a microscope. African American society as a whole will be under a microscope. Knowing this i ask that you support this man and also to make sure that you carry yourself with a bit of decorum, because we will all be looked at differently.
God Bless Barack Hussein Obama and God Bless America.
Posts
