The Content of the Heart…

Now that the crowds have receded, the stadiums are now empty, the ball gowns are hung back in the closet and the tuxes are replaced with jeans and rolled up sleeves, I sit back in a state of reflection. I still have not really digested the fact that our nation’s president is a black man! It feels like a dream or a movie but it is neither, it is actually a reality! It has been a long tortuous journey dating back over 200 years but the day is now here, the time has now come. Our ancestor’s struggle to freedom and equal rights is now a cause fulfilled. They endured the slave passage, ropes, whips, lynching, water hoses , dogs, clubs, and verbal abuse so that generations to come would be able to really proclaim that they are free and equal in not only God’s eyes but in America’s eyes. The Constitution that this country was built on can really resound in the freedom for which it stands because on January 20, 2009 the final barrier was broken! President Obama’s presidency affirms that the Constitution is more than just a governmental document but a representation of the fulfillment of equal rights for all people as the fore fathers intended.

I’ve had some beautiful moments in my life but what I had the privilege of witnessing yesterday has changed not only my future but the future of our country and world! The impact that the inauguration and this presidency will have on our young African American minds are limitless. Hope is now a reality. The possibilities are now tangible. Faith is now a visible blessing. Black children no longer only have celebrities or athletes to look up to, but now they can add the most coveted role in America to that list …PRESIDENT! This achievement moves blacks into a visible role that will dispel many myths, beliefs and assumptions about the black race. Through President Obama, society will see the intellect, dedications, perseverance, and the spirit of the black race. America will see that Black-America has more than artistic and athletic talents, to offer society we too are filled with aspirations and dreams that range beyond the stage, theater, court and or field.

I feel so blessed to be alive to witness such an accomplishment. I feel even more blessed to share it with my parents, grand-parents and child. After talking to my father regarding his participation in the Civil Rights moment and his experiences of discrimination, I truly feel that our country is heading in a direction where people can truly be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. Our God is a God of variety. He created many animals, many types of trees, many types of flowers and organisms. Why would he not create a world of people with the same variety? These differences were not created to be used as weapons of oppression but to reflect His majestic power and design. What happened yesterday affirms that God is still in control. He still appoints kings. Ultimately, His will presides over all because God does not look at the outward appearance but the content of the heart!