Witness to History . . . America is Proud
We have all lived long enough to remember many historic events. My first was the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I remember standing by a shrub at the side of our house when I heard my Mother shout, “Oh no!” There have been many events since, VE-Day, VJ-Day, etc., when you remember what happened and exactly where you were and what you were doing at the time you heard.
This morning, I was sitting at the counter sipping coffee when for the first time in the history of our nation a black man was sworn in as our nation’s president. Looking at the throngs assembled and listening to the interviews on the Mall, the one common trait you detected was an immense sense of pride. America was standing tall. It was once again demonstrating that freedom was possible.
Traveling overseas, you repeatedly encounter very different cultures. . .The manager of our London Office believed his six year-old daughter’s life was over because she wasn’t admitted to a certain school. The Chinese people in Kuala Lumpur recognize that they must limit their access and aspirations. The Shiites in Bahrain realize that only the lower paying jobs are available to them.
Once, I was verbally assaulted by a potential client who observed that the stark repression in their country was no different than America’s was to its black people. They were just more forthright about it. I was stung by the truth in his statement, and I knew that my counter arguments lacked conviction.
Today, that changed. Today is a very historic day. Today, two hundred and thirty-three years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, America has proved once again that freedom can ring out. This time for a black man.
Racial prejudice still does exist. As a nation, we still have a lot more work to do. But for race relations in this country, this is HUGE! I truly believe that people now will consciously shift their vision from the color of a person’s skin to the look in a person’s eye. Once we get that shift firmly in place, we can relegate racial issues to a footnote.
There is an excitement in this land today, because Americans realize they effected this change themselves. They are standing proudly together and enjoying this moment of history. Personally, I feel quite proud that, during the past seven decades of my life - especially during the past three - my country has managed to achieve this amazing progress. I feel privileged that I have lived to witness it.
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