WOW! What an amazing and historical event! People of America and the world over should be proud of the progress that America has united behind!
I felt that Andrew Young, longtime friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, said it best...
..."Barack
Obama's election has made us tremendously proud, but it has given us, I'm afraid, too much hope. I'm constantly reminding [the black community] that he has never once promised, "Yes I can." He has always said, "Yes WE can." He has never set himself up as a savior of the world. He set himself up as someone who articulates and represents and can hopefully lead us to be the best America that we can be. He isn't just black; he's an Afro-Asian-Latin European. That means he's a global citizen and an all-American boy. He defies categorization. The fact that his father and grandfather on one side were black doesn't make him any more of a black President than his grandfather on the other side being white would make him a white President. We claim him, and we are proud of him, but the fact is that he has not had the experiences of deprivation, humiliation and racism that I had to grow up with — which is good. He has the label without the scars."
Clarence B. Jones, former advisor and close friend to Dr. King, also summarized...
..."When I think about Barack Obama and I think about Martin King, I think about that saying that Martin used in many different versions, the saying of Victor Hugo's, paraphrased, "More powerful than the march of mighty armies is an idea whose time has come." And one could say prophetically that Barack Obama is an American idea whose time has come. And that's the power of it.
To me, and so many others, this has nothing to do with Obama, other than the fact that he is the vehicle for change. This has more to do with millions of voices calling for change.
..."We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change. We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks to come. We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible odds; when we've been told that we're not ready, or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people. Yes we can!"
... and YES WE DID!!
The speech was eloquent, direct and selfless. He never truly paused for applause, giving us every indication that he will press forward steadfast and do his very best to preserve, protect and to defend this great country.
I was surprised how I didn't cry as much as I thought I would... But for some reason, his words had this calming effect, that gave me hope and faith. That's when the world had confirmation that this man would help be the change we believed in.
His inaugural address included only 3 mentions of the word "I" - the fewest mentions ever in an inaugural address.
I am, once again, proud to be an American!!!
