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H., Childish Things and Eleanor Roosevelt
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Barack Obama is now the 44th President of the United States. I wanted to share poignant images and sounds of his swearing-in ceremony:
Before the speech:
1) Introduced as Barack H. Obama but took the oath of office with his middle name.
2) Rick Warren’s prayer was good but was way too long.
3) The John Williams arrangement, “Air and Simple Gifts”, was “Appalachian Spring” on steroids.
4) During the Williams piece, a shot of Michelle, Sasha and Malia playing a game (priceless).
During the speech:
Some of the lines that stood out to me including the following:
1) Set Aside Childish Things - I assume he is talking about party politics over the common good.
2) Ground Has Shifted Beneath Them - referencing to his election? We’ll see if that is true or not.
3) We Are Ready To Lead Once More - clear connection to foreign policy and American leadership.
4) You Can’t Outlast Us and We Will Defeat You - spoken like a conservative Republican.
The most intriguing visual to me:
This camera shots of the men with the Tuskegee Airmen caps. All week I have heard about the connection of President Obama, Abraham Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. However, if there is anyone who should be mentioned as having an impact on changing attitudes of letting African-Americans become part of mainstream society, it is First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and her insistence that black men could serve their country as fighter pilots in World War II.
“When Eleanor Roosevelt visited Tuskegee Army Air Field in 1941, she insisted on taking a ride in an airplane with a black pilot at the controls. ER’s pilot was Charles Anderson. ER then insisted that her flight with Anderson be photographed and the film developed immediately so that she could take the photographs back to Washington when she left the field. ER used this photograph as part of her campaign to convince FDR to activate the participation of the Tuskegee Airmen in North Africa and in the European Theater.”
Eleanor Roosevelt’s successful campaign was the starting point of the Civil Rights movement. Her legacy for equality based on talent and commitment to our nation reached its apex at 12 noon on January 20, 2009. Thank You, Mrs. Roosevelt!
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