Jan 20 2009
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Barack Obama has finally been sworn in as the 44th President of the United States amidst a wave of general goodwill and hope. The words “historic” and “momentous” have been used rather a lot over the past 24 hours, but I think it is worth reminding ourselves what this occasion represents. Just 41 years ago, one year after I was born and 7 years after Barack Obama was born, Martin Luther King Jnr was assassinated. He was murdered for daring to advocate for African Americans and pointing out the injustice of segregation, that Black people could not vote and that the police could mete out violence towards Black Americans with apparent impunity.
And now the United States has an African American President!
But let us not be complacent. Whilst this is an enormous step there is still a way to go before true equality can be achieved in the U.S., here in the UK, or indeed anywhere else in the world. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 showed how there are still large numbers of Black Americans who live in poverty and feel ignored and marginalized. The slow response by the authorities seemed to confirm the view of many residents of New Orleans that they did not matter and that had they been middle class White people then the response might have been different. This may or may not be true, but the anger expressed by people stranded and dispossessed was real enough.
So, President Obama, I wish you well! You inherit a Presidency with 2 wars to deal with, an economy in tatters, the hopes of ordinary Americans that you might improve their lot and tackle injustice, and the hope of the rest of the world that you may strive to make world a safer place. Good luck, I think you may need it!
