Is Obama’s Inauguration the Realization of Dr. King’s Dream?

On Saturday afternoon I joined 40,000 of my fellow Baltimoreans to welcome President-Elect Obama to our city. Tomorrow, of course, Mr. Obama will be sworn-in as president. For many people, especially older African-Americans, this is a day they thought would never come. Tomorrow, January 20, 2009, the United States of America will inaugurate our first African-American president.

While we were waiting for Obama to address the crowd, I stood next to an older African-American couple and their friends. You could just tell that the election of Barack Obama meant so much to them. They lived through the worst and most disgraceful part of American history and now are seeing an African-American man take the office of President of the United States of America.

Our country has come so far in the 45 years since Dr. King gave his beloved I Have a Dream speech. Many are even saying today that Dr. King’s vision has now been fully realized. CNN released poll results this morning saying that “More than two-thirds of African-Americans believe Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision for race relations has been fulfilled.”

While I love to see this optimism, I worry that this belief may lead some to complacency. No doubt, this is a wonderful and historic time, but we are not finished. There is still more work to be done. I believe that Dr. King’s vision was for all people, from not only all races, but also all socioeconomic levels. In 2009, there is still a huge gap between, for lack of better terms, the haves and the have nots.

This morning I was reflecting back on a post I wrote on this day last year about Dr. King, who has always been a huge inspiration to me. My hope for President Obama is that he will continue to inspire our country the way Dr. King inspired so many. I hope that he will lead our country with strength and authority, but also with humility and grace.

While Dr. King’s vision may not be completely realized, it’s clear that we as a country have made much progress. Let us celebrate this progress and use it as a springboard to bring about even more change. The type of change that gives each and every American, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, or socioeconomic status the chance to succeed and lead a productive, healthy life.