I am not sure of the feeling I have today… Indeed today is a special day for everyone, regardless if you are or aren’t an American citizen. The magnitude of Obama’s inauguration cannot be encapsulated by words, all we know is it is something uplifting, a fulfillment of dreams and above all a generator of HOPE world wide. As I sit in my hotel room here in the Czech Republic, my computer is glued to CNN anxiously awaiting the inaguaration of Barack Obama.I am overwhelmed by emotion. I can’t help but think of Martin Luther King’s Speech “I have a dream,” where he states “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” This inauguration of Obama for demonstrates the fulfillment Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream, into a reality.
As a young Canadian black female growing up, I have always dreamt of this day. I believed in a world where racism would be less pervasive and equality for all would continue to grow. A world where would be lead by goodness and not cynicism.
It’s incredible to think that the US’s past election sited the largest turnout for votes in its history, AND from that Obama in a sweeping victory was elected President judged not by his colour but by the content of his character. Almost 46 years later, Martin Luther King’s Speech is seeing its fulfillment on the highest stage – Presidency. Ironically, while Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream, Barack Obama entered his first year of life, to someday lead a nation.
And while Obama may be an African-American, and this is the first African-American President, the even greater amazement of this day is the quality leader Americans have elected. Indeed Barack is a good man, beholding the kind of character most of us wish to have or want to be in its company…. a genuine interest in the betterment of all man and the belief that anything and all things are possible.
I leave you with an exert from Barack Obama’s speech at a Democratic National Convention: ,
In his speech addressing the Democratic National Convention in 2004, Obama said:
“ In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism here -- the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!” Thank you USA for electing Barack Obama for president!
Your proud Canadian Neighbour,
Nicole W. Forrester
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