What a great Inauguration Day this has been. Also, what a great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day this has been as well! The Inauguration was excellent. President Obama's speech was excellent. Michelle, Malia, and Sasha looked beautiful. Kelly Clarkson sung amazingly well! Truly a great day overall. I wish I was there to have witnessed the event in person. I dropped the ball.
I don't know what the next 4 years holds for President Obama or the country in general, but I am proud of what he was able to achieve in his first term. Hopefully, over his next term, Congress will be more open to the idea of compromise, because the division in Washington is hurting the rest of us, over nothing more than foolish pride. I love that President Obama requested to be sworn in for his second term with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s bible. That speaks volumes to me of the respect and admiration that President Obama must have for Dr. King and his legacy.
I also have to acknowledge how good it was to see Myrlie Evers-Williams give the invocation at the Inauguration. It was good to see a figure of the Civil Rights Movement involved in such a prominent way. It makes me remember the efforts of her husband, Medgar Evers whose life was taken while fighting for the rights for myself and all of us.
The symbolism of all of these events taking place on Dr. King Day is extremely significant. I don't know what Dr. King would think of our country and where we have come, much less his thoughts on the younger generation of African-Americans in this country. Have we dropped the ball on what our predecessors fought so hard for? Are we hopeless on ever getting further than where we are today? Does the younger generation even care anymore? Is this the dream that Dr. King stated he had in Washington D.C. so many decades ago? Although we have come a long way since the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, we still have a long way to go for racial equality in this country. Racism is still alive and well. There are still people who don't understand or even like the fact that Dr. King birthday is a national holiday. My response to them is that if you don't find the efforts of Dr. King significant, nor like the fact that Black and White people in this country have equal rights and can work and go to school together, then maybe you should go to work today and be miserable there doing all of your work and my load too! Let freedom ring! *Drops the mic and walks off the stage*
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