"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..." It is ironic that when these words were written in 1776, they did not apply to people like me. Yet, these words seem almost foreshadowing of the changes to come. TheDeclaration of Independencespoke of rights that were given by our Creator, but it would take many years and a war to start our country down the path of "All men are created equal..." and we are still trying to make this a reality here in 2013. As an African-American, I feel fortunate to find myself in a place in history where I have a particularly unique view from which to reflect on the history of what today meant to us as a nation and our moving closer towards that concept, "All men are created equal".
As I reflect on the 2nd Presidential Inauguration of President Barack Obama, I can't help but think of one of the Bibles he sworn the oath of office on, the Lincoln Bible. Abraham Lincoln was president of our country at a time when our union was new and fragile. There was an issue that threatened to tear our nation apart, Slavery. With southern states threatening secession the President had to weigh the costs of freeing the slaves with preserving the Union. I believe Lincoln understood the damage we do to ourselves when we don't extend equality for us all. I can't help but wonder what President Lincoln would think of the nation's first black president. I can only imagine the feelings of something you know would take longer than your life span materialize.Once slavery was abolished, something naturally had to take its place. TheBlack Codesin southern states. began almost as soon as the ink was dry on theEmancipation Proclamation...then here comesJim CrowtheGrandfather Clause,Segregationand other restrictions allmeant to keep a nation in a nation...separate and unequal.
Then enters a charismatic pastor who challenges the status quo. Dr. King often quoted the founding fathers as he spoke of racial equality. Peaceful resistance, which Dr. King espoused, was in stark contrast to the hatred and vehemence that was shown towards those seeking the rights promised in our founding documents, but not yet realized. How would Dr. King see the events of today? I would expect that he would feel that we have made great strides, but that we still have too many equalities in a nation with the capacity to solve these problems. 
Now with these great leaders to reflect on, along with countless others, we stand at a place in history that is brand new. As the world looked on, we a nation of immigrants, but whose infrastructure was built with slave labor have chosen and African-American as president and we have given him a second term in office. There have been so many who have sacrificed so much to get us to this point. It is at times overwhelming to think of even my own family and the sacrifices made in order to help my current generation become successful. My grandfather had to leave school in the 5th grade to help his family. Later when he was married and wanted to build a house he quoted prices that a person of color could not afford at that time. He decided to build the home by hand. It took years, but he built a home for his family. My father was the first black chemist for Burlington Industries. I am only the second generation of my family to go to college. Today, I found myself in awe of what is possible when people want to change something. The country did not change on its own. Brave men and woman put their lives on the line so that we all, as Americans, can achieve and excel. As an African-American I appreciate the founding fathers of our great nation, but I have an even greater appreciation for those who made and are making our country live up to its ideal that we are all created equal, for they paid a cost that we today to often take for granted. I hope we always remember that we owe a great debt to these men and woman, and the only way to begin to pay it back is to contribute to creating a better society and as they did, leave this place better than we found it. 
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