What Obama's Inauguration Means to Me

My daughter and I will be among the millions who will endure the cold and the crowds to be a part of history on Tuesday, January 20. I am going, in part, to cover the event for my local radio station as their Chief Correspondent.

Even if I don’t get anywhere near the swearing-in ceremony or get a glimpse of our soon-to-be President, I still want to be there. I NEED to be there.

I will be perfectly honest. I never thought I’d live to see what is about to take place. Why? Because I am a baby boomer. I grew up during a period of segregation. Although I wasn’t raised in the segregated, lynching South, I was still subject to the “subtle discrimination” that existed in the rest of the country. It was still a “separate and unequal society.” Racism has been alive and well ever since I can remember.

Obama’s inauguration certainly won’t change race relations overnight but maybe it will start a much needed honest dialogue between the races. At the very least, he gives my grandson hope that “Yes, he can!”

What do you think? Do you see race relations improving as a result of Obama’s presidency? Do you think there’s a race problem in America?