The Dream Comes True

George Wenschhof Bio

What an incredible moment! It was forty years ago, when Martin Luther King gave his famous speech which has become known as "I have A Dream".. While many Americans could identify with and agree with a line in that speech which I will paraphrase " there will be a day when a man is judged by the content of his character and not the color of his skin", many of us did not believe we would live to see that day.

Yet, that day has come and the hope and the ideals of the American constitution have been further validated and strengthened with the Inauguration of the first African-American; Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.

The incredible excitement of this moment is shared by all Americans and the belief that "Yes We Can!" has spread across every corner of the country. While listening to Aretha Franklin sing "My Country Tis of Thee" prior to Joe Biden being sworn in as Vice President, I could not help hear in the back of my mind the words of her song "RESPECT".

When Chief Justice John Roberts finished swearing in Barack Obama as President, the cheer that went up from the huge crowd gathered around the Capitol was incredible. I am sure the goosebumps that were appearing on my skin and my increased heartbeat were emotions shared by many watching this historic moment.

President Obama's speech focused on the strength of America and Democracy. He spoke of the troubling economy and the problems it presents. This is something all Americans must share in and he said "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America." It was time to have government be accountable and stop the argument of whether government is too small or too large and instead focus on does it work? On foreign policy, he said America is prepared to lead and promised America will defeat terrorist enemies. He spoke of the time has come to place hope over fear and unity over discord.

The Page.Time.com has the full text of his speech here.

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