As Barack Obama placed his hand on the Lincoln Bible, my mind was spinning. I saw not the Obamas standing at the Capitol, the dignitaries behind them, or the onlookers below.
My mind transported me to the Callanan Middle School Cafeteria on a blustery Caucus night, as Jim Bowman; Tuskegee Airman, educator, father, citizen and patriot yelled out his number in support of an African American who is becoming President today. I saw Edgar Rosa, a Roosevelt High School senior leading a cheer in an impromptu mosh pit excited about playing a role in politics even though he cannot yet vote. I was transfixed by a young woman crying tears of joy on the field in Denver as the candidate became the nominee. I heard candidate Obama invoking Dr. King to explain how “the fierce urgency of now” was what motivated him to travel this nation to build a coalition of hope.
As President Obama turned to face a nation, I saw these faces and my own reflected in his gaze. The future rests not on the shoulders of President Obama, but on the shoulders of people in every corner of our nation. The speech ends. Our time is now.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
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