A New Renaissance has Begun

As an English major, I was mesmerized by Langston Hughes' poetry and his voice. I was never a performer of any kind of artistry, but when it came to Hughes' work I felt myself wanting to speak his poetry, the words falling out of my mouth as if I, too, had been black in the 1940's. Poor. Destitute, but not out. Full of hope, but not fear. Consider the famous Hughes' poem "I, too" for a moment, and allow yourself to be lost in the beauty of his words and their meaning: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15615

On Tuesday, Barack Obama's words inspired me the same way Langston Hughes' poetry did when I was an English student - and continues to inspire me to this day.

Not only did our new President remember where he came from in his rousing inauguration speech, but he also recognized how the unique experience of being an African-American and can shape his perspective on leadership. Obama may not be as poetic about it, but even as I listened to reports Tuesday morning about how the mall was filling up - even at 6:30 in the morning (!) - I felt a rush of pride at how far we really have come. True, I am a romantic, altruistic in the most purist sense, but I choose to believe in the goodness of man and the character that God molded us from.

Some of you on the other side of the aisle - or those who simply don't identify as Democrat - may be wary of another Democrat taking office who will spend your money, make government bigger, and decline tax cuts. Each party has their own way of doing things but their goal is ultimately the same - they want to make America better. And we need to do better. With a flailing(and failing) economy, lackluster credit, banking and auto industries, and foreclosures and layoffs climbing everyday, the new president will be sweating bullets until he can shore up the dam. You may very well disagree with President Obama's policy positions, no doubt. But it's hard to disagree with the powerful message Tuesday's inauguration sent to the rest of the world: We will overcome. President Obama's own election is proof of that.

It is my hope that we can now put aside our partisan differences and focus on the task ahead of rebuilding - and support our new president, whatever party or color or religion our new president is.