Yesterday marked the ten year anniversary of the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. On that day many of us felt the joy and pride of our first black president. Some of us had wondered of it was even possible in the United States of America with its history of oppression. But on that day as well as today we feel a special pride as we remember the historic events of our people. But again, the memories are sweet but where are we as a people and as a nation.
In a recent Facebook post a friend (real not just Facebook) recently asked how did we get from the competent, compassionate President Barack Obama to our current administration? What caused our nation to take such a giant leap backwards? The answers are probably more complicated than we realize; institutionalized racism, hatred, fear, and plain old greed are probably the top reasons. But there was another reason as well. We, as a people became complacent. We believed that with the election of a black president we had "arrived". And in our complacency we failed to keep up the fight and lost our focus. We let our guard down by not continuing to campaign and vote.
It's time for us to wake up and stay woke. We have not arrived and Dr. King's dream is still unfulfilled today. Yes, progress has been made but our progress is tenuous. We have already lost ground as racism has become more blatant and open in the last few years. At one time name calling and lying were reserved to the elementary playground and for a few ignorant people. Now it has become a normal occurrence from the highest reaches of government. It has been condoned by those professing to be men and women of faith and has become normalized in our nation and in the world.
As we remember Dr. King today, let us remember that he was a man of eloquent words, exceptional leadership, and powerful actions. We only really celebrate him when we speak up and speak out about injustice. We celebrate him when we lead our families and our communities with an example of peace and self discipline. And when we celebrate him when we are moved to action; whether lobbying and writing our elected officials or by consistently voting in every election. America is on a slippery slope. How far we slide depends on what we do. Wake up, it's time to live the dream.