What can be said that hasn’t already?  The buzz around the inauguration of now-President Barack Obama has been excitable, and for some even, fanatical (as in extremely excitable).

And in many ways rightly so.  The growth and fruition of desegregation, and hopefully even more so genuine acceptance and equality, has resulted in the first non-Caucasian President in United States history.

In many ways, its sad that this has to be new, that this fact has to be historical, as if to say that having a multi-racial Presidential history is only just now a reality.  But, in that very same breath, it is that fact that will hopefully allow for greater opportunities, equality, and acceptance of other races and cultures in pursuit of the Presidency, and hopefully far beyond that reaching into other arenas of life as well.

At the same time, its unfortunate that this historical aspect of the inauguration has a creeping shadow called “recession” (though some are even mumbling “depression”).  Yes, its unfortunate that the economy couldn’t have been strong, our foreign interests and relationships vibrant, and the world market thriving.  In this way, America could have truly appreciated without distraction this moment.

Yet in many ways, perhaps it is those things that has helped fuel what America needed, not just in Barack Obama the person, but also in the status of our nation, economically, socio-culturally, politically, etc. . .perhaps what America needed from those things was the chance to be shaken and awoken for change at a much deeper level - a level we may only realize needed that change years from now. Let us hope that change be so.

It is part of the same change that Marting Luther King Jr., the man who’s life and work was celebrated only a day before ironically, urged us to commit to as well.

Whatever your view of the election, one things remains certain - the word “hope” is floating around more than it has in quite some time.  And as the new President encouraged so diligently in his *inauguration speech, may we all be agents of that change together. . .

(For those of you who missed the inauguration speech, you can see its full viewing below)

(or you can read it here)

*For an interesting side story, read all about Obama’s speech writer here . Its a very interesting article into the minds of both the writer and Obama.

- IgniteTheMind

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