As I travel to Washington, DC today to speak at AT&T’s 28 Days Speaker Series at Howard University, I reflect on the many accomplishments we have made in the recent years. I have been to Washington often during this time, but it was just a little more than a year ago, when we sat in below freezing tempatures, and listened to the inaugaration speech by President Obama, delivered to hundreds of millions of Americans and billions around the world. It was a cold morning, a very cold morning, but the words of the President rung out like rays of sunshine. And as we still face difficult times and challenging choices, there are words from that speech that remind us today to keep pushing forward:
‘The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.’
When it comes to making change, I am a believer that in order to fulfill the entire goal, it is important to take a first step, whether large or small, towards what you want. I am encouraged by the progress we have made on issues such as prison reform, health care, the environment, the economy and much more. However, it is important that we remember that while we make big, important decisions for the future of our country and the future of our children, that we put first the love that we have for each other and the compassion that we have for all humanity, the earth and all its inhabitants.
If you are in Washington, DC today, come by Howard University at 5PM. It’s FREE.
