President Obama Role Model for Minorities Worldwide

Today I had great (work) expectations. I had a schedule to follow and a list of things to accomplish. By 8am, all of that had been long since forgotten.

Not to discount any holidays (they are, after all, considered holidays for very good reasons), but every year we’ll have another 4th of July, another Easter, another Labor Day. Never again will we have another inauguration of the first African American President of the United States. While Barack Obama has set the precedent for “minority” presidents to come, this day is a one-time deal. Forever.

Regardless of political affiliation, this is something to be celebrated.

The emails and projects can wait another day. Dozens of years from now, I know I’ll never remember my work correspondence or what projects I was working on today.

Instead, I’ll remember watching live as Barack Hussein Obama was sworn into office and extended an olive branch to the world. Present in the VIP stand at the ceremony: Aretha Franklin, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, The Boys Choir of Kenya, and Oprah Winfrey among countless others. Millions of people from all walks of life merged on the National Mall to watch this historical moment, live.

For the first time in United States history, I felt that this presidential inauguration wasn’t just another white man celebrating his glory. As I looked to the stands at both public events, I saw diversity. For once, I didn’t just feel hope for minorities- the hope that they too, could someday be someone important in this country- I finally felt as though the day had arrived.

Barack Hussein Obama, President of the United States of America, is proof that the barriers are being torn down at a rapid pace. Anybody can become who they want to become in life.

I wish Martin Luther King Jr. were here to witness this moment in history.

Dream big.