Yes We Can

January 20, 2009: the day the United States of America inaugurated its first minority president in its history. While I disagree with some major philosophical/political ideologies, I recognize the significance of this moment. So I decided that given the fact that I'm a hop, skip, and a walk away from downtown Washington D.C., I would be part of history in the making by joining with millions of other Americans in celebrating the new dawn when the office of the presidency is not an exclusively Caucasian office. Despite the impassable crowds, the frigid temperature, and the minor inconveniences and annoyances, I am glad I ventured out into the crowd to witness this momentous occasion.

A quick side note, it is indeed amazing how the son of a Kenyan immigrant who was virtually an unknown junior senatorial candidate from Illinois in 2004 came to hold the ultimate office of leadership in the country. Only in a country like the United States can that even be considered a possibility. It speaks volumes of the maturity of our democratic process in an age when many "democracies" still resort to violence and policies of exclusion to direct their domestic policies. I am proud to be an American citizen. I am even prouder to be a Korean-American. I wonder if it will at all be a possibility of seeing an Asian-American ascend to the highest office of this land. For all intents and purposes, what Pres. Obama has achieved is a milestone for all minority groups, but we have not yet arrived.

Back to the inauguration. Pastor Rick Warren's opening invocation was powerful. I know that liberal and secular commentaries are saying how overly Christian the prayer was, but the dude is a Christian evangelical pastor. What were they expecting from him? But from my vantage point, where I was standing (near the Washington Monument which is about a mile away from where it all happened), his prayer was indeed powerful. Echoes of "amen" and "hallelujah" were heard from around, while tears flowed in the eyes of some other believers. I, too, was moved by the content of his prayer. I especially liked when he prayed, "When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you—forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone—forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve—forgive us." Powerful.

Like some other commentaries and analysis I've read and heard, I did not think the inauguration address was all that impressive. Don't misunderstand me. It was a fine piece of writing delivered in typical Obama-style brilliance. But the content in it of itself seemed a little less memorable than previous addresses like the JFKs and the Lincolns and the Reagans. Perhaps Obama's 2004 DNC speech and many of his subsequent speeches have spoiled me to the point where I expect his next speech to top his previous.

I have so many thoughts from the inauguration. Perhaps I shall share them on a post later on. But for now, I leave you with words from his inaugural address that I liked and a few pictures I took. More pictures can be found on my flickr site.

"What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny."

"America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."