Historic!

It's official, said and done! Barack Hussein Obama is now in charge of the United States of America. What an amazing, historic and inspirational moment in my life. As amazed and proud as I am, I can not imagine the feelings of those African Americans who lived through so much hardship.

My mom has said many times she never thought she would live long enough to see this day. I never pondered it that closely. I saw the images of the Civil Rights Movement on newsreels, in history books and in films re-creating those times. My mother lived through that era. She saw the images on the news. Growing up in a tiny town in Arkansas, she knew her place and did not dare challenge the status quo. African Americans were expected to be in certain places at certain times, meaning, she had better not be in a white section of town after nightfall. She better not talk to a white person unless he/she spoke to her first. She had to pick their cotton beginning from the wee hours of the morning and going on until nightfall. Picking cotton is back-breaking work and I freely admit I feel blessed to have never had this task.

Now, for the next four years, when an announcer says, "Here is a message from OUR president." A black man will take the podium. That knowledge makes me feel...finally...like I am really a part of this nation. There is a man in charge who has felt that sting of racism personally. He has seen the poor treatment of people of color but also the rejection of the poor. He has worked to help eradicate poverty and encourages us all to pull ourselves up. Not like Ronald Reagan when he said pull yourself up then cut programs to help. I believe Barack Obama will give us the methods to pull ourselves from the trenches.

The cheers, the support, the tears all say something positive...we believe in the hope and change Barack Obama has promised. Getting that support is half the battle. If the people want Congress to support our new president, we have the power to create change with our president.

As I watched Obama, I also marveled at the diversity on the stage. There were faces of all colors and some religions other than Christian. This was clearly seen during the musical number. Yo Yo Ma performed on cello, Anthony McGill on clarinet, Gabriela Montero on piano and Itzhak Perlman on violin. Ma is Chinese, McGill is black, Montero is a woman and Perlman is not only Jewish but also physically disabled. People may think these choices are random but they never are in such a situation. The image of diversity in that moment reflects what Obama has said all along, we all are equal.

Looking forward, I imagine a day when a Chinese person could be president. The changes to the inauguration would be fantastic. I think, how would a Jew change the ceremonies? Would a Latino call the event the inauguration fiesta? Would a Native American have the biggest Pow-Wow imaginable? Many other races live in America and we all have different customs deserving respect. This day opens the door to the real possibility that one day, the inauguration may have lion dancers, dragons, fireworks and could resemble a Lunar New Year event. This event may one day feature Folkloric dancers, or native drums. One day, there may be Polynesian dance and roasted pig. Our country is a diverse place and until today, that diversity was not well reflected in Washington DC. Change has truly come to America.