Alli's Blog

“We have come far.”

“I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear…” About 38 million people heard the first black man become president of the United States.

While everyone was excited to see the 44th president take office, I was thinking about one word that he said in his speech that had a tremendous impact on me, responsibility. We have to take responsibility for what we have become, for where we are and where we are going.

When talking to several people in my community they have also gotten the word; in fact it was the Wednesday night sermon at Huffman Church. And there is a lot to say about responsibility.

“We have come far, I remember being young and knowing that I didn’t have the same opportunities that all the white kids had,” Gloria Vaughn said. She remembers going to school with all the black children and thought that this was the same world that her children would grow up in.

Luckily, this is not the world that her granddaughter grows up in.

“I’m not surprised that we have a black president; I knew it would happen eventually.” According to Vaughn’s 17-year-old granddaughter, we haven’t had a black president sooner because a black man didn’t run.

Well, they did, they just didn’t get nominated by the Republican or Democratic parties. Now, the first man to get nominated won.

Although, Obama’s inauguration brings change, hope and in many cases tears, it also brings the realization that we don’t know him very well.

“At least you knew what you were getting when you voted for Bush,” my mother said. She voted for McCain.

Those in my community would like to reserve opinion about Obama’s policies and agenda until after at least the first 100 days.

“This is either the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end,” Pastor Shirley Kearse of Huffman Church said.

So now we have to take responsibility for the decision we have made. I hope it is a good one.