Becky Zerr's Blog
Cheers, Tears, and Everything in Between / 01.21.09, 12:06 AM
I’ll admit that this is going to sound pretty cheesy, but I’ll say it anyways. Today was one of those days in which I was really proud to be an American. I don’t always agree with everything our country and its leaders stand for, and that certainly won’t change overnight, but I saw hope restored among the people in my neighborhood today. Political affiliations and ideologies aside, it was a day to celebrate a dream that had come true for the black community in our nation.
The local schools were closed today so I had the opportunity to attend our church’s inaugural celebration. After living here in New Orleans and building relationships with my neighbors for a few months, I have never felt more connected to them than I did today. With glistened eyes, I watched the joy and tears on the faces of my church family as they celebrated this momentous occasion. Time was set aside for members of the congregation to share what this inauguration meant to them. One woman shared that as a child, she witnessed people being lynched for the color of their skin. Another woman shared about her experiences sitting in the back of the bus and how as a young child, she didn’t understand why she was treated differently than the white children. I had read about these things in history books but had never considered that my fellow church members, these people whom I now consider family, had experienced such injustices. All of them stated that they never thought that they would see a black President in their lifetimes. It was truly a dream come true. Hearing these personal accounts gave me a greater context in which to place the significance of today’s events. It made me realize how far our nation has come.
The election of President Obama signals progress, but the journey toward greater equality for all people is not over. Pray for our President as he assumes this office. He has a challenging road ahead of him.
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