On the Issues | A Historic Moment for a Historic Policy

On January 20, millions of Americans witnessed a great moment in American history when Barak Obama was sworn-in as the 44th President of the United States. President Obama is the first AfricanAmerican to take that oath of office.

President Obama’s election was a testament to how far we have come as a nation in so short a time. It was only 44 years ago when the National Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the United States. Before then many had no voice in who served as Commander-in-Chief and no true ability to affect policy in America. Just 219 years ago, we were a nation where a black man was considered only three-fifths of a person. We are now a nation where a black man is the President. That is real change.

It was fitting that the day after we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. - a man who foresaw a day when skin color would not be a barrier to what a person could achieve – that we watched Barack Obama, a man with a white mother, an African father and a skin color different from his 43 predecessors, ascend into the highest position in the land.

The theme of the 2009 inauguration was ‘A New Birth of Freedom’ and commemorated the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, truly one of America’s greatest leaders, a man who recognized that “a government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” is the only way that a nation can prosper.

It was a joyous occasion for the American people. It was also a moment that called on every American to do their part to fix a nation that has become broken through war, a declining economy, a weakened health-care system and an education system that is failing American children. Obama spoke of these challenges in his inaugural address:

“Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: they will be met.”

“For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.”

Our new President understands the need for all Americans to come together as a nation to fix the problems that ail us. He understands that there is no room for partisan politics if we are going to move past the turbulent times. He has brought a new sense of hope to the nation, as evidenced in the millions who gathered in Washington, D.C. and the millions who gathered around television sets from Pennsylvania to California and even the far reaches of Africa and Japan.

President Obama has rallied the American people around hope, change and a brighter future for every single person in this nation. He has asked us to set aside “petty grievances and false promises” and get to the business of rehabilitating this nation. His entire campaign centered on change and as we shake off the past eight years, we look toward the next four with the idea of change at the forefront of our minds. This inauguration was the first step toward change and it is my hope that this notion will continue and that faith in America can be restored.