Many believed this day would never come. Most of us hoped and prayed that it would, but few of us actually believed we would live to see it. Racism is an ugly thing in all of its forms and there is little doubt that if this man had moved into this house fifteen years ago, there would have been a great outcry – possibly even rioting in the streets.
Today, we can all be both grateful and proud that no such mayhem will take place when this man takes up residency in this house.

This man, moving into this house at this time in our nation’s history is much more than a simple change of addresses for him – it is proof of a change in our attitude as a nation. It is an amends of sorts – the righting of a great wrong. It is a symbol of our growth, and of our willingness to “judge a man, not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character”.

There can be little doubt now that the vast majority of us truly believe that this man has earned both his place in history and his new address. His time in this house will not be easy – it will be fraught with danger and he will face many challenges. There will be many times when he asks himself how in the world he ended up here and like all who have gone before him, the experience will age him greatly.

But do not waste an ounce of worry for his sake – because in every way a man can, he asked for this.
His whole life for the past fifteen years appears to have been inexorably leading this man toward this house.
It is highly probable that that in the past, despite all of his actions, racism would have kept this man out of this house.
Today, we should thank the lord above that we are Americans and that we live in a nation where wrongs are righted, where justice matters and where truly anything is possible.

The man being discussed:

Inaugural Fun Facts:
George Washington’s was the shortest inaugural address at 135 words. (1793)

William H. Harrison’s was the longest inaugural address at 8,445 words. (1841)

Abraham Lincoln was the first to include African-Americans in his parade. (1865)

Women were included for the first time in Woodrow Wilson’s second inaugural parade. (1917)

Lyndon Johnson was the first (and so far) only president to be sworn in by a woman, U.S. District Judge Sarah T. Hughes. (1963)

Ronald Reagan’s second inaugural had to compete with Super Bowl Sunday. (1985)

The first ceremony broadcast on the Internet was Bill Clinton’s second inauguration. (1997)

All but six presidents took the presidential oath in Washington, D.C.The exceptions were:
• George Washington-1789, New York City; 1793, Philadelphia
• John Adams-1797, Philadelphia
• Chester Alan Arthur-1881, New York City
• Theodore Roosevelt-1901, Buffalo
• Calvin Coolidge-1923, Plymouth, Vt.
• Lyndon Baines Johnson-1963, Dallas

Theodore Roosevelt’s 1901 oath was the only one not sworn in on a Bible.

Only four retiring presidents have not attended the inaugurations of their successors. Those who were absent:
• John Adams missed Thomas Jefferson’s inaugural.
• John Quincy Adams was not present at Andrew Jackson’s.
• Andrew Johnson was not at Ulysses Grant’s ceremony.
• Richard Nixon was not present at Gerald Ford’s inaugural.

Here we go once again America. Game on.