The Dream Has Come True

There was a time, not that long ago, when the dream for justice, equality, fairness, and simple human decency was held by only a gossamer thread. And from the beginning of American history, that hope was seldom truly realized.

But, though it was continually tugged and stretched, that thread was never broken. It is perhaps best said by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in today’s video. I hope you will watch it and rejoice that the dream he revealed to America over 40 years ago was finally realized.

Today marks a turning point in America, and the world, by the election of Senator Barack Obama, an African-American, to this country’s highest office. It is the realization of that dream — held by so many, through such discouragement for so many trying years.

Since this blog is dedicated to history, I thought about listing the events that occurred during the fifties. The prejudices that prevailed. And the struggles to overcome the inequalities so prevalent in our nation during that decade and the one that followed. But I have decided not to mention those. They are the past. They occurred in a different time and in a different world. They are a part of the history of the American people, and should be considered as such.

Today the American people have sent a new message to the world. We have set a precedent. And we have done it as one voice. Together — Asian, Hispanic, Black and White — we have found a hero with the key to unlock the doors that have divided us for so long. From this day forward when a child is asked what he or she would like to be when they grow up, there are no longer any barriers. Our differences remain. We are not all the same in all respects. But there is one thing that unites us and that we all share equally. We are Americans.

As you may have noticed, I have departed from my usual form of including several photographs in my post today. But I have included one at the top. That one American, and what he has achieved, is a symbol for everything that has gone before and, more importantly, everything that is yet to come.