Obama’s officially our president
Obama was elected months ago but today he became our president. I can’t help but feel hope. I know we have a long road to travel before this country gets back up on its feet — but the swearing in of our first black president says so much about how far we’ve already come, as a people and a nation. I feel as if we can do anything.
In his inauguration speech Obama said:
“This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.”
Wow… that just says so much about how far we really have come. But it’s important to note that my feeling of hope for this country is not because Obama is black; it’s because Obama seems to inspire change. He inspires influential people to try to inspire change. He inspires the average citizen to want to help create positive change.
Also, I can relate to Obama. The leader of our country is also just another guy, a father. I watch his speeches culminate in applause and then see his older daughter give him the equivalent of a high-five. Her excitement, her interest, and her words, “great speech dad,” say so much about him as a man and as a father.
I am not sure if this feeling of hope will last — especially as more people continue to lose their jobs and their homes — but maybe it will help to get us through the hard times ahead.
It’s 1pm and I just watched Barack and Michelle walk former president Bush and Barbara to their ride out of D.C., a presidential helicopter. Man — it feels so good to see Bush go away and to see Barack standing on the steps with confidence. I know Barack will mess up at some point. I know he will make decisions I don’t agree with, but it’s true that, for right now, I have a renewed sense of hope and pride in my country. I will ride this wave as long as I can.
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I pledge to be patient, supportive and hopeful!
Amy, so many citizens of the world echo your sentiments. The part of his speech that you highlighted really struck a chord and revealed that while our history is so grim, our future is destined to be remarkable.
I also hate to dwell on the fact that “a black man” is president (and this is one of the first times that he earmarked that fact) because it ignores everything else that he represents–a man with a unique upbringing from humble beginnings and strong ethics which were instilled within him by a single mother and his grandparents who raised him. But most of all, he represents HOPE. Those of us who are chronically defeated, downtrodden and depressed by our circumstances cling to hope. It is sometimes all we have, all we can rely on. And that encapsulation of hope is what makes this man so special, so right, so necessary.