From King to Obama, the Arc of Justice

On a historic day when millions of Americans of all faiths, races and backgrounds braved freezing temperatures to witness one of the greatest moment's in our nation's history, it's hard to not be moved by the magnitude of the moment, whether or not you voted for Barack Obama in the election.

The arc of justice, leveraged at one end by Rev. Martin Luther King who changed history when he stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial over forty years ago. His movement and vision encompassed generations of Americans who lined the Reflecting Pool then and today and was buttressed at the other end at the steps of the Capitol with our first African-American president.

While listening to some of King's speeches on the radio yesterday, I was struck by the similarity of his language and Obama's -- unity over divisiveness, justice to triumph hate and the potential for genuine personal and societal transformation. As I listened to the esteemed Rev. Joseph Lowery, one of the fathers of our civil rights movement quote passages from the Bible about peace, righteousness and "let justice will roll down like waters" (Amos 5:24) while seeing shots of other icons of the civil rights movement, such as Rep. John Lewis and the Tuskegee Airmen, I couldn't stop nodding my head. Generations of Americans have heard the cries for change and righteousness and it's been a long journey by many brave people who have brought justice to the doors of our government on this momentous occasion.

I was surprisingly most teary-eyed during the musical performance by a group of people who are of multi-generational, religious and ethnic backgrounds and reflect the diversity of our country; the strength and ingenuity of our nation and our unity. After listening to Obama's forceful words of change, determination and extension to all of us to become soldiers in his journey to better our nation, how can one say no?

Now is the time for us to help our nation rise up from its time of darkness to bring it into the light to be the beacon the world has known us to be. Join with millions of others to transform our country, whether it's by starting at your school, neighborhood block, city, congregation or state, we all need to heed the call of our leaders to bring change now.

This blog, Sarah's Social Action Snapshot, originally appeared on Takepart.com

Comments

[Spanfan]

I hope more people read this.

[suzefan]

Here! Here! Now, let's give the guy a chance and not be so quick to jump all over him every time he makes a decision we don't agree with. At least we now have someone with the intelligence and sensitivity and capacity to understand and appreciate the complexities and subtleties of the world we're currently living in, someone who is forward-thinking and realizes that you can't solve today's problems with yesterday's solutions and the kind of simplistic thinking that appeared to have worked in the past. I'm sure it's going to upset a lot of people who have spent the last eight years thinking that everything was just fine as long as their taxes weren't raised and that the problems with the healthcare system and public education and our environment were actually being addressed.

[Sarah Newman - Huffpost Blogger]

yes, the change in tone will be an abrupt wake-up call for those who enjoyed the Bush Admin. However, I'm sure the rest of us feel a huge sense of relief and excitement for the potential change Obama can bring.

[OzChicago]

Sarah, This is elegantly written and wonderful...bravo !! I loved the down-to-earthness, sensibleness, practicality and personal responsibility undertone in Obama's speech.....dare I say, very Mid Western !! I wish Obama had exorted a bit more that America's best days are ahead as they always are and always will be.

[cinder]

I'm with you Sarah. Let's hope the inspiration we're feeling from Obama doesn't fade.

[xinrachel]

Hopefully we will feel more united and eager to push forth across neighborhood boundaries and other divisions and work together for a common cause. Now we are blessed to have a leader who has knowledge about working with neighbors no matter who they are, acting at the grassroots level and most significantly the power of the people.
This is a great summary of what today means to so many of us. Well done for taking notice of the significance and all that made this day possible.

[Sarah Newman - Huffpost Blogger]

Yes, there are so many fantastic ways for each of us to get involved in our communities. All of our efforts will make a huge difference.

[gitmar]

Bring on the light. We had enough darkness the past eight years.

[DianaMR112]

happy obama day!

[gabydoo]

Sarah, you are right on as usual! You go, girl!

[wasupbuttercup]

Rev. Joseph Lowery had me shouting Amen to the TV this morning....which, I swear, was a first for me.

[ekpeyton]

I’m always thrilled when Obama addresses the need for personal responsibility. We all need to contribute our strengths and talents to help improve the current state of our society, myself included. His words help to inspire me to keep moving forward with my projects, and I think we can all use a little inspiration.

[Gordon Kaplan]

Clearly the milestone of having a person of color as President is incredibly significant - even if that person does nothing at all. It marks a new level of "willingness" and maturity in the electorate. Whether we are actually more mature, we are ready, we are willing, those things remain to be seen.

And while I voted for this President and support him, I also realize there's no benchmark to determine what sort of leader he is - though he is clearly one who can string together words in our native language in a clear and concise way (for which I am eternally grateful).

What remains to be seen and experienced is whether there will BE new politics and new decisions and new priorities and new directions. If that is the case - and I hear all around me that it is - we had better be prepared to deal with the discomfort that comes with change, growth and transformation. Please do not leave a new direction up to the President. Stop quoting Gandhi and start living Gandhi. Our talk cannot be heard over the volume of our actions.

Start your change today. Begin your transformation right now. Begin it by making the choice - the choice to stay on the path of growth, not look back, and keep at it especially when it feels as though you can't take another step forward.

[Sarah Newman - Huffpost Blogger]

I so agree! How could you not be moved and inspired by yesterday's events? Amazing moment for our nation.