My alarm woke me up and it was dark outside.  It would be dark, in fact, for many many many more hours; I was waking up at 1am for the Inauguration Day ceremonies to get the best possible spot.  I threw on my long johns, a pair of jeans, a long sleeve under armour, a tank top, sweater, heavy fleece, wool socks, my pea coat, gloves, hat from Peru and a pair of warm boots before I hopped on the subway.  I got to the national mall around 2am…there was already a crowd of people!  For the next 10 hours it was standing room only, shifting from one foot to the next, waiting for the swearing in ceremony of the first African American president EVER to be elected in the US of A.  There was an incredible feeling of comradery in the crowd; people were from all over the world, of different ethnicities and beliefs, yet we were all united in watching this amazing historical moment unfold.  We sang classics like “Stand By Me” and chanted O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma! to pass the time.   I’ll admit it was hellish to stand in the cold–I was shivering, my back and feet hurt, I was hungry–but it was all worth it because of the message I took from Obama’s speech and the inspiring call to action that I’d like to share with you now.  In his speech Obama said:

What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

If we are to continue calling America our home and be proud of its place in the world, we must take an active role in making it better.  We cannot simply sit around thinking someone else will come and fix problems for us.  When Obama said this, I immediately recalled seeing something similar in an Andy Warhol exhibit.  On a plaque in the art gallery it read, “They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” Problems with the economy, the disparity of income, the dropout rates of high school students, the crime, corruption, and problems specific to Buffalo, none of them will magically disappear, and to think that they would is foolhardy.  We are the only ones who can change things because we have the power to do so.  If not us, then who?

It was a crazy few days–on my feet constantly, being awake 24+ hours, battling crowds, attending a ball–but I walked away from the inauguration ceremony with a renewed sense of action, an even greater desire to enact change.  I hope you were listening on Tuesday and heard that call for service within our communities, because with a strong team of people who seek to make things better for all, we can tackle some of the challenges we face in Buffalo and accomplish great things!