“rosa parks sat,
so that martin luther king jr. could walk,
martin luther king jr. walked,
so that barack obama could run.
barack obama ran, so we could fly”
-The mural currently up on a building I drive by every morning on my way to work.
As much of a cynic as I am, and as much as the thing that stuck in my mind most about the inauguration ceremony was Roberts and Obama working together to flub the first couple lines of the Oath of Office (seriously guys: rehearse!), to see what this day has meant to my black friends in particular has been truly heartwarming.
I can’t possibly fathom the depth of the importance of this day to them, but the joy I’ve seen in my friends’ eyes, heard in my friends’ voices, and even read in my friends’ Facebook status messages gives me just a little taste of this world-redefining moment.
It takes a hell of a lot to melt the heart of a cynic, especially one like mine, crusted ten years ago in the bile of the Clinton Impeachment and hardened fifteen years ago in the fights over Marion Barry and D.C.’s self-determination after his drug conviction and subsequent re-election.
But today I am happy for this nation as a whole for every political reason I cast my vote for Obama in November. And on a more personal level, I am very, very happy to see so many of my friends so overwhelmed with joy.