A Day of Celebration

As Dr. Joseph Lowery, a United Methodist minister, gave the concluding prayer at the Inaugural ceremony today, I felt an instant connection. He began by quoting the words from Lift Every Voice and Sing, the hymn we sang at Church of the Three Crosses on Sunday: “God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, thou who hast brought us thus far on the way.” It has been a song of inspiration and hope for so many who have struggled for equality and justice in our country. When I heard the words, the spirits of Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Dr. Mark Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks and so many others who helped pave the pathway to today, stood beside Dr. Lowery on the platform. Today, I celebrate the journey that so many before us have made possible, and my hopes run high that as we continue this journey, we might be led deeper into the light and that we will be “forever in the path” of justice, love and compassion, “where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.”