It’s not lost on me that yesterday, we celebrated the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and today we celebrate the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. There has been much discussed about the fulfilling of Dr. King’s dream, the election of the first African-American president, the ceremony and all the festivities. And there has been much coverage of all the celebrities and dignitaries that will be present. I know Oprah will be there, weeping on some stranger’s shoulder, Muhammad Ali will be there, Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Beyonce, Denzel Washington and many, many more will be there.
But there will be other guests that will be there. They are the ones I will be watching for. When Barack stands and places his hand on the Lincoln Bible, he will be surrounded by his wife, daughters and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. But they won’t be the only ones standing there.
Martin and Coretta will be there. Malcolm will be there. JFK and RFK will be there. Medgar will be there. Cheney, Goodman and Schwerner will be there. Emmitt will be there. Rosa will be there. Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Nat Turner, Phyllis Wheatley will be there. Frederick Douglas will be there. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley will be there. They and many others will be there, standing sentry, standing guard, heads high, hearts full, spirits proud.
They will be there and as Barack takes the oath, I will join with them in saying, “Yes, we did.”
