Heroes at the Inauguration

When I was sixteen years old, I began singing We Shall Overcome to destroy de facto segregation in Los Angeles. For all of us who sat in the halls of the Board of Education, tomorrow, January 20, is the great day that we have been waiting for, and the day we cannot believe has actually come.

We live in a time where no one in the world may be better known than Barack Obama. Being well known and being African-American isn't enough. We need a hero now, a person who has the courage to face unprecedented crises, the faith to believe in himself, the country, and the world. He needs to set an example, as he already has, of such faith and calm in these times. Finally, everyone who wants to become President has a lot of ego. That's just fine, as long as we are part of Obama's vision. I believe he can do all these things, and I'm so grateful to be here for tomorrow.

The new President is not the only hero we need. For all the millions that have gone to the effort of showing up at the Inauguration, let this not be the end of their service. We all have opportunity to be heroes--we have little choice!--in keeping the faith and working for a world that we are not ashamed to leave to the next generation.