Today I think that most blogs will have some mention of the Inauguration of Barak Hussein Obama as President of the United States of America. I thought that I would write about it too but everything I start to write seems trivial to what I am feeling. I simply do not know how to express my feelings about today.
I grew up in a house with parents that were prejudiced about all people that were not white. And if my Father were alive today he would be upset that a black man was being sworn in as President of the United States. Back in the 1950's I remember seeing on TV and reading about the civil rights struggles in the South. And now here we are in 2009 and a black man is being sworn in as our President. I don't think that our racial issues are over with, but I'm very hopeful that we are turning a corner where children who are not white believe that they too have the opportunity to be anything they want to be. This is a historic day for our country.
Our country is overwhelmed by problems on all sides from the economy to the "wars," to security within our own borders, to international relations.....the list is long. All I can do is pray for President Obama that he has the intelligence, the mental toughness, the diplomacy, and the ability to inspire all of us to help, even sacrifice if necessary, to solve many of our problems.
My Prayer is God Bless the United States of America. God Bless President Obama
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8 comments:
AMEN, Billie.
Well said Billie, well said......
Alfredo, Well first of all he sees himself as a black man. But secondly his skin is darker than most white men so I think he would be seen as black no matter what he says. And as far as I am concerned, who cares, white, black or brown. I'm more concerned about other attributes.
Billie, you are a true lady. Your post was gracefully said. I read many blogs and feel they are a daily friendly encounter however, today many of them wrote hateful things on their blogs. All political persuasions are not the same, too bad when politics enter an otherwise fun hobby.
I just want to add another "Amen" to your prayer, Billie.
I also have difficulty putting into words the strong emotion of watching this man take the oath of office. We are blessed that he came along...
On of my favorite images of the inauguration was seeing a middle-aged black man in the crowd, standing with his hand in a tight salute throughout Obama's entire speech.
And so, again, Amen.
Billie, I marched for civil rights in the early 1960s and registered black voters in the later 1960s. I have been dedicated to the promotion of equality from the time I understood that some people were considered to be less than others.
Inauguration Day 2009 and the feelings it engendered are, as you said, inexplicable in their transcendence and power.
One of my favorite quotes of this time is, "Crispus fell so Rosa could sit; Rosa sat so Martin could march; Martin marched so Obama could run; Obama ran so our children could SOAR." Amen, amen.
I watched the inaugural proceedings from earliest morning until the last of the balls. I had to keep a box of Kleenex close at hand. So many tears of joy, so many!
Cristina
"I don´t think our racial issues are over with."
They will never be over with. It is human nature to notice differences between us.
To Alfredo, people´s seeing the multi-racial Obama as black is the same as the old Jim Crow take on things: Even a touch of black blood makes you black. It would be nice to get away from that.
That`s one element.
Another is that it´s "cool" to be black these days. Well, unless you´re in the Klan.
But the fact is that Obama is a multi-racial man, a political Tiger Woods.
I sure hope he can be president like Tiger Woods hits that little white ball.
I join you on the Tiger Woods thoughts.
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