The Changing Leaves of Winter

On Tuesday Barak Obama was sworn in, more than once, as the 44th President of the United States.  I watched the first attempt with many others huddled around a wall mounted television as I anxiously awaited a job interview.  Many around me were slack jawed as the cameras panned over the breadth of the crowd gathered in Washington.  Later that night I heard several news broadcasters approximate the assembly to be anywhere between one and two million people.  Apparently crowd estimation ranks somewhere between alchemy and voodoo as a science. Regardless of the actual figure many more revelers, even those that possessed "golden tickets," were turned away by police and National Guard members due to safety concerns.

When I was in third grade I remember being assigned a report for Black history month and not really understanding why it was necessary to specifically pick someone of African descent. Never the less I chose Jackie Robinson and was thankful at least I would be able to discuss and learn more about baseball.  The month continued with lessons about Martin Luther King’s impact and a musical production that had the entire class chant “We can be like Martin, yes we can!”  Though the teachers gave a valiant effort I only remember being annoyed that I was instructed to aspire to be like anyone else.  The lone positive impression I remember was made by the photos of the hundreds of thousands of people filling the national mall during Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech.  To the eight year old version of myself it was the numerous silent observers that were able to communicate the importance of the message.

Tuesdays scene impressed me, not due to President Obama personal speech, Yo-Yo Ma's amazing cello, or Aretha' ginormous bow, but because a record number of people gathered to reflect the progress our nation has made in turning our ideals into our reality.  Martin borrowed a theme from Shakespeare in saying, “The sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.”  Perhaps Tuesday's crowd was a good sign that autumn is finally coming to America.