“We know that our patchwork heritage is a strength." —Barack Obama, January 20, 2009
Wrap me in that patchwork. Let me smell its many aromas And drink in its delicious warmth. Delight my eye in its glorious kaleidoscope.
We used to be three-piece suits, Aprons and housecoats, robes and pajamas and ball gowns, business professional and casual Friday, play clothes and power suits. We used to clothe the homeless, the elite and the erudite, the cynic and the optimist.
We have been cherished and spat on, Loved and nurtured and shunned, Hung out to dry and rained on. But here we are, all sewn together, Stronger and more stunning than ever we were, Ready to wrap the cold, cold world In our new warmth.
I have never watched an inauguration with the eagerness or rapt attention I felt today, so comparisons are difficult to make, but I rejoice at the inclusion of such moving and powerful music and poetry during the ceremony. I am delighted with Elizabeth Alexander's delicious poem "Praise Song for the Day."
Jay Parini wrote last week in the Guardian, "The choice of Alexander to read is brilliant. She represents black American culture, but she says to the audience: 'We're here, and we're very smart and well-educated, fully aware of western European culture in all its complexity; yet we retain an allegiance to our own past, our roots, our needs, our vision.'"
We walk into that which we cannot yet see. Say it plain: that many have died for this day.
Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of. . . .
Some live by love thy neighbor as thyself, others by first do no harm or take no more than you need. What if the mightiest word is love? . . .
In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, any thing can be made, any sentence begun. On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp, praise song for walking forward in that light.
We are indeed walking forward in that light, hopeful, nervous, cautious, and jubilant. I have never in my life seen us so overjoyed or so united. If we can hold fast this new sense of ourselves and our potential, then maybe we really can remake America while reclaiming the best heritage of the founders.
Alexander's poem perfectly catches the juxtaposition of everydayness and history, of the ordinary and extraordinary, commonality and diversity—all that has gone into the making of this amazing day.
The beauty and diversity of our extraordinary national moment was further enhanced by the performance of "Air and Simple Gifts," arranged for the inauguration by John Williams and performed by Itzhak Perlman on the violin, Anthony McGill on the clarinet, Yo-Yo Ma on the cello, and Gabriela Montero on the piano. The diversity of the musicians represented here is so amazing all by itself, and the music was extraordinarily beautiful, exquisite in form and execution and resonating perfectly with the tone of the day. As I listened, I imagined music teachers all across the country rejoicing in their hearts.
(Aretha Franklin's extraordinary performance of "America" was so thrilling that I have to post about it separately.)
And finally, one of the many lines that gave me goosebumps during President Obama's speech was this one: "We will restore science to its rightful place." Wow. Knock me over with a feather. Science is back in vogue. Now I'm imagining science teachers across the country breathing a great collective sigh of relief.
I expect many of us were breathing various individual and collective sighs of relief throughout the day all over the country, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one crying, bawling, sniffling. This is a day we will long remember, a precious, joyous day. May all that we actually accomplish in the next four years bear out the hope burning in our hearts. May there be a new flourishing of poetry, music, and science that points back to this day, this day in which we walk "forward in that light."
Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery, icon of the civil rights movement and cofounder together with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, gave the inaugural benediction today. It was the best prayer I ever heard, and maybe one of the best prayers ever prayed. I couldn't find a transcript of it fast enough, so I transcribed it myself. The first few lines are a verse from the hymn "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by James Weldon Johnson.
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who has brought us thus far along the way, Thou who has by thy might led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray, Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee, Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee. Shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand, True to thee, oh God, and true to our native land.
We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we've shared this day. We pray now, oh Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant, Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family and his administration. He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national and indeed the global fiscal climate. But because we know you've got the whole world in your hand, we pray for not only our nation but for the community of nations.
Our faith does not shrink, though pressed by the flood of mortal ills. For we know that, Lord, you're able and you're willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds, and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor, of the least of these, and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.
We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that yes we can work together to achieve a more perfect union. And while we have sown the wind of greed and corruption, and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness, and we come in the spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.
And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance. And as we leave this mountaintop, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, wherever we seek your will. Bless President Barack, First Lady Michelle; look over our little angelic Sasha and Malia.
We go now to walk together, children, pledging that we won't get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone, with your hands of power and your heart of love. Help us, then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid, when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right. Let all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen! Say Amen! And Amen!
January 18, 2009, Episcopalian Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire gives the invocation for the "We Are One" concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.
This makes me so happy, to have the very first prayer of the inauguration festivities given by Bishop Robinson. He doesn't just ask God's blessing; he is a blessing. He makes me proud to be an Episcopalian.
Listening to him, I am reminded of the feeling that having a woman priest gives me. It's an affirmation of the value of a group of oppressed and disdained people, who may then be empowered and mobilized because of that priest's extraordinary courage and leadership. I'm so thrilled that Robinson was given this honor and responsibility and visibility.
Bishop Robinson appeared last Wednesday (January 14, 2009) on the Rachel Maddow Show. I confess to grinning like an idiot through the whole interview.
I echo Bishop Robinson's sentiments: "I long for a government that respects the dignity of every human being, especially those who are less fortunate." And I love the notion of Jesus having a "big tent." That should make us all happy campers, eh?
