JayarJackson

After 4 days of activities and anticipation, building up so much hype in my mind that it had me without sleep on the eve of the Inauguration, I finally witnessed another historic moment today near the steps of our nation’s Capitol.  The day was early; the lines were amazingly long; stretching for miles behind me, and the word of the day was stand.  From the second I entered the subway car at 5:45 am until I nearly stumbled to a friend’s car at 3pm, I stood.  I stood still, I stood sideways, I stood slumped, I stood bent over, and I stood happily, annoyed, claustrophobic, near sleep, with cold feet, and eventually, tearful. 

Sure, I always drew the connection between the reality of this day and the celebration of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.  Everyone talks about how Dr. King’s “dream” was fulfilled today just a couple miles away from where he shared it with America.  It makes a great and easily played out one-liner for any newsperson to read over a tightly packaged news story interspersing MLK’s speech with Obama’s swearing in.  The opportunity to actually be there and witness the moment in my own way allowed me to skip the news packages and understand it wasn’t just that “Barack Obama is the first African-American person to be elected President of the United States,” but that on that Mall full of people, from as many backgrounds as one could imagine, we stood together in celebration of our ability to progress, we crammed into tiny entrances, and while some complained about our pain, others connected about it.  It wasn’t about getting a “Black Man into office,” but about getting the best man into office, regardless of his skin tone or background.  This was a victory for the citizens of this country; to move beyond our past blind hatred and do what’s best.  That’s what I always got from King’s most famous speech.  He just happened to be hurting his back and walking his miles for the struggle of that era; equality for Black Americans. 

Since we proved we can continue to move forward, it will be exciting to recognize and work hard on issues that still sometimes hinder our natural progression into the future. 

The moment our 44th President dropped that irritating “elect” from the end of his title in front of what some estimate at over 2 million people, I realized that standing was the least I could do to witness this event with my fellow citizens.  So as my back ached and I wondered why I didn’t take a lawn chair the way an older couple did right in front of me, I understood that Obama’s moment on the stage will be talked about forever in our nation’s history.  As I listened and searched for the one line that will be repeated as Barack Obama’s historic quote in the list of past Presidents’ great lines, I found that my favorite one didn’t even matter.  This moment was again not only about him, but about the entire country.  So as his term officially begins on January 20th, 2009, I have regained the belief that our country holds its own fate in its hands again. 

 

--JJJ