"What gives me that hope is what I see when I look out across this mall. For in these monuments are chiseled those unlikely stories that affirm our unyielding faith - a faith that anything is possible in America. Rising before us stands a memorial to a man who led a small band of farmers and shopkeepers in revolution against the army of an Empire, all for the sake of an idea. On the ground below is a tribute to a generation that withstood war and depression... Directly in front of us is a pool that still reflects the dream of a King, and the glory of a people who marched and bled so that their children might be judged by their character’s content. And behind me, watching over the union he saved, sits the man who in so many ways made this day possible. ..And yet, as I stand here
tonight, what gives me the greatest hope of all is not the stone and marble that surrounds us today, but what fills the spaces in between. It is you - Americans of every race and region and station who came here because you believe
in what this country can be and because you want to help us get there. ...And as I prepare to assume the presidency, yours are the voices I will take with me every day I walk into that Oval Office... there is no obstacle that can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change. That is the belief with which we began this campaign, and that is how we will overcome what ails us now... never forget that the true character of our nation is revealed not during times of comfort and ease, but by the right we do when the moment is hard. I ask you
to help me reveal that character once more, and together, we can carry forward as one nation, and one people, the legacy of our forefathers that we celebrate today."
If you watched any coverage of this weekend's kickoff to the Inauguration you had to have seen the kids of Ron Clark Academy. They are singing their "Dear Obama" anthem everywhere! Their faces for me the definition of Joy... and, yes, Hope and Change... They believe in the promise this time holds and most importantly they believe in themselves... and I believe in them!
Watching the kids of Ron Clark Academy and listening to their words of thanks and enthusiasm I began to understand what has been missing from every other Presidential inauguration I can remember-Pride.
During her husband's campaign Michelle Obama was criticized for stating that for the first time in her life she was proud to be an American. I don't believe she was speaking solely as a woman of color when she made those remarks,but rather as an American. I understood what she was saying, how she was feeling, as she talked to people across this country. Michelle and I come from the same generation, a generation whose first memory of a president is Richard Nixon. Our political socialization born of Watergate, a history of political fraud and packaged promises.
The genius of the Obama campaign, the brilliance of Barack Obama, is the recognition that millions of Americans never have felt comfortable or fulfilled in their American skin because there was always an "us" and a "you" and a "them". Barack Obama peeled back history and showed us we are ALL Americans and if we are to succeed during such extraordinary times then there is no choice, this country must be a "We".
Watching this campaign, watching this election, seeing the faces in the crowds in Grant Park, the "Obamastock" concert, you feel that "This" is Different...This time is Different. Despite horrible headlines, there is real joy in this nation, and with an 80% approval rating a real chance for this administration to be Different...to truly lead by acting and acting boldly.
The Pride we feel today can be ephemeral or a seed change It will be up to Barack Obama to take a hold of that "good feeling", that Pride, and cement it into a movement that will recover a nation, and change this country permanently, not just for four years. It will be up to him to harness the power that his campaign built to bring him to this day. It will be up to him to sustain this emotion. That will be perhaps the greatest test of his leadership... for without that pride, without that belief that we can be better, that we can eradicate the bad habits and deep rooted lazy beliefs, we go nowhere.
For today, at the start of this extraordinary week, Pride is what we should feel, and Pride is the building block we will need for the Myth of America to become a Reality for every child in this country.
This is a letter to Barack Obama…it’s our way of saying thank you.
Thank you for showing me that no doors are closed.
I have the power to control my own future.
Thank you for showing me that I can stand tall and be proud of who I am.
You have given us strength, courage, and hope
And for that we all say Thank You!...
And today is a new day where we can all see a new hope for our country...
And we know that along your journey, people said mean things to you and about you. But you never gave up and that gives us the strength to never give up. You are more than a President. You are a role model, a father figure, and a man we can all look up to, and for that we say Thank You.
Dear Obama ...You’ve broken down doors
No limits anymore
We all agree that Yes We Can
Sincerely, every child, every family, everyone…
Barack Obama – We Thank You!
RonClark Academy Kids
