Inauguration of a Dream

At noon today, Barack Obama will take the oath of office and be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.

Sitting behind Obama on the Inaugural platform will be 96-year-old Dr. Dorothy I. Height, a history maker and eyewitness to history.

Dr. Height is chair and president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women whose headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue is the only black-owned building on the parade route.

It was from there that I live blogged Election Day and watched the election returns with Dr. Height and friends, including Melanie Campbell of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. When Obama was projected the winner, the room erupted. We screamed, laughed, cried and, yes, did the electric slide.

Dr. Height shared some thoughts on Obama’s historic victory. I want to again share them with you:

Many people lost their lives working to get the vote. For a while we received the vote but we weren’t using the vote. We learned how to use that vote and you see the results tonight.

In many instances we are the swing vote. Just because we are a minority doesn’t mean that we can’t make a difference. We all should be proud that we have a man like Barack Obama. He prepared himself and he carried himself throughout this with dignity and strength. Whether they voted for him or not, they have to acknowledge that he has been presidential all the way.

What does Obama’s election mean to African Americans?:

It means that what I’ve worked for has not been in vain. I see in Barack Obama a sense of the future and realize the strength that’s in our people. A young man who’s so devoted, so sincere, and so able to do what he wants to do.

The journey from the Big House to the White House was indeed a journey of hope and faith. The inauguration of the first African American President is the fulfillment of the impossible unimaginable dream.