I wanted to congratulate President Barack Obama on the occasion of his inauguration as the 44th president of the United States of America. It is my hope that he can fulfill the promise and hope that so many Americans have hung upon his Administration. Today, there is a sense of belonging that has been expressed so eloquently by African Americans as they realize that as of today the most powerful man in the world is a man of color.
I have never been more proud to be an American than I am today, as I’ve realized that for today at least we are not white or black, Democrat or Republican, Progressive or Conservative, but we are all, simply, Americans. That sense of unity is something I hope we do not lose too quickly as we settled back into our well-worn paths and ways of thinking. Today we represent a promise that the United States of America can return to being that shining light on the hill that our oppressed brothers and sisters, those who live under the yoke of the most repressive regimes on Earth, can look to a source of promise and potential, that living, breathing embodiment of freedom.
Congratulations to President Barack Obama. We all look forward to your service as president. Don’t let us down.
