Today is a symbol of change. An African American president took his second oath of office on a day that celebrates the birthday of a man who represents the overcoming of injustice and inequality during the civil rights movement of the 60’s.
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Washington Monument.
I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor’s lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”
Today, is that day that all of God’s children can sing those words with a new meaning. Today is more than the election of the first African American president, but instead is a reinforcement of the idea that this change is real.
For many of those who watched the coverage of the Inaguration, there was a feeling of promise and the spark of new beginnings as we all gazed at Obama’s inaguration on Martin Luther King day. It felt as if all of the tragedies, scandals, and disasters of the world could have been pushed to the side for a small period time.
In his “I Have a Dream Speech”, King says:
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.”
King would have been proud to know that a man, whose ancestors could have once been legally enslaved according to the American government, is now the President of the United States of America.
Let today be a day that you appreciate this country for its passion for freedom and equality. While everyone may not be able to agree on the issues, I think that one thing that most people would agree with is that life can be beautiful sometimes. Fifty years ago, black citizens were beaten, lynched and abused for trying to just have the privilege of equal rights. Today, an entire country watched Barak Hussein Obama, take his oath to protect, defend and serve this country as our president.