Inauguration

OK - a quick blog about yesterday. Watching Obama sworn into office was incredible. I had the pleasure of being with a 70-something black woman who grew up in Alabama. She intermittently would tell stories. She didn't know why, but she was one of a couple of "colored" girls allowed into the local drug store to buy ice cream...of course, it had to be eaten out back. She would go in and get it for her friends and they would eat it out back - not really thinking anything of it at the time. She recalled chaperoning a class field trip and the car/vehicle breaking down, but the men at the service station would not come out of the building to help them. Amazing things, stories.

And with Obama - I have hope. I know that change will not come in a day. It may not even come during his administration. But I have hope that it will come. And I actually laughed at loud (Reverend Lowery in the Benediction): Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen So, while yellow is mellow, and I will not ask black to get in back, and brown can stick around, and the red man can get ahead man.....this white will try to embrace what is right. Obama's speech was inspiring. But this to me hit it right on the head. We ARE all equal. That there are people out there that are still racist and teaching racism doesn't amaze me...it sickens me. It floors me that there is that ignorance still in our society. I am so glad and so grateful that no one tried anything stupid yesterday. Holding hands with Mrs C - she cried at times, I teared up at times...what an amazing experience.
Except, she was watching to see if she could find her brother on the TV - he didn't have a ticket, but he was going there anyway. THAT was a bit funny too. Spike Lee, Oprah, we saw them. But we couldn't find her brother!!!!Anyway, yesterday was a GOOD day in history. Unlike 9-11, the devestation during the civil rights movement, the wars in Iraq and in many, many other countries, tribal wars in Africa.....yesterday was good. History was made.