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January 20th, 2009
Jan. 20th, 2009 12:17 pmI'd like to say I had some special entitlement to a piece of the history of today. But in truth, I really don't have anything specific I can point to to say I am entitled to a piece of today's gift.
I haven't suffered. While we were not well-off growing up, at no point were we hungry, and we always had someplace to live. For that, I can thank my mother who worked very hard to provide for us.
My skin color is almost entirely external, having grown up not in the African-American culture, or indeed not having even any contact with that half of my family. It was, in fact, the racism of that side of my family that led them to hold back from contact with us, because my mother was white, while my father was black.
Today's economy's woes have mostly passed us by. We are relatively secure in that fashion.
My daughter does not have to endure racism, and indeed for the most part, I did not endure racism, surely not to the degree my parents, and his parents, had to endure it. We do not have to sacrifice or die for simple human rights. We have been given for free the gifts of the work of our parents and grandparents.
Yet, today belongs to me. Today belongs to all of us. We must care for that which belongs to us, and join in supporting what belongs to us.
We have come so far as a country, as people, as humans. We have achieved many great things, so I ask you all:
Please, understand what chances we have now to continue and extend those achievements, and do not waste them.
I haven't suffered. While we were not well-off growing up, at no point were we hungry, and we always had someplace to live. For that, I can thank my mother who worked very hard to provide for us.
My skin color is almost entirely external, having grown up not in the African-American culture, or indeed not having even any contact with that half of my family. It was, in fact, the racism of that side of my family that led them to hold back from contact with us, because my mother was white, while my father was black.
Today's economy's woes have mostly passed us by. We are relatively secure in that fashion.
My daughter does not have to endure racism, and indeed for the most part, I did not endure racism, surely not to the degree my parents, and his parents, had to endure it. We do not have to sacrifice or die for simple human rights. We have been given for free the gifts of the work of our parents and grandparents.
Yet, today belongs to me. Today belongs to all of us. We must care for that which belongs to us, and join in supporting what belongs to us.
We have come so far as a country, as people, as humans. We have achieved many great things, so I ask you all:
Please, understand what chances we have now to continue and extend those achievements, and do not waste them.
