Subscribe
The Daily Grind Video
CLOSE

We were made for this moment. When Run-DMC walked this way with Aerosmith, we knew this moment would come. When the Beastie Boys got their license to ill, we knew this moment would come. When Jay-Z laid down the blueprint, one, two and three, we knew this moment would come. When Kanye turned on all of the lights, we knew this moment would come. When Biggie Smalls told us that sky’s the limit, we knew this moment would come. We were made for this moment. Barack Obama.

The 44th President of the United States. Barack Obama. Yes, that Barack Obama. The one that stood in front of the world on January 21, 2013 and claimed that it’s a new day in America. Alicia Keys. O-ba-ma’s on fire, she yelled at the Inaugural Ball later that night…wait, I always get ahead of myself.  

I woke up at 4AM on Monday morning. I had gone to sleep just 90 minutes earlier. Nas told me that sleep is the cousin of death, so I try to get the least amount of it possible. On Monday morning, 90 minutes was plenty because I was lucky enough to receive a ticket to the 57th Inauguration of the President of the United States of America. Word around Washington from my friends was that most people were gonna skip the ceremony, because they “did it last time.” 90 minutes of sleep was plenty for me. I wasn’t gonna miss this moment for anything. What if it was Lincoln’s second inaugural? Kennedy’s “ask not what your country can do for you” moment? If I had to, I definitely would have slept overnight on the national mall, like I did in 2009, to hear Barack’s vision for America, but I was fortunate enough to be given a seat for this year’s occasion. I cherish that 2009 experience (with no ticket) of sleeping on a piece of cardboard until the sun came up, but after that day, I committed myself to the movement that was led by this man who restored hope in our nation. Four years later, the campaign recognized our work to help re-elect the President and blessed us with an experience that I can’t wait to tell my son about when he is born in two months. He at least he got to hear Barack’s speech from his mother’s stomach, who sat next to me, but what he could not see was the incredible diversity in the crowd. An America that he will grow up in that will never be surprised by black Presidents or Latina Supreme Court justices. MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry beautifully summed up his speech with these 121 characters, “No other president has ever told such an inclusive story of America. It’s not just rhetoric. It matters to be recognized.” Recognition of a new day, we recognized.

All our generation has ever asked for was a chance for this day to come. When we met Barack Obama at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, we met a visionary. That is who we elected. A man who could create a vision for our nation. A vision for a generation. For our generation. A man who believes in us, who understands us, who inspires us, who fights for us. A man who would give not just our generation, but all generations a chance to be the greatest country we could possibly be. A country that leaves no one behind. A country that turns its back on no one. A country that tolerates the differences that make us great. We have arrived at that moment, and we are ready, because we are made for this. This moment.

A moment that we know once this nation achieves change, we don’t turn back. And what we saw yesterday was a celebration of one of America’s most beautiful attributes, our compassion. The journey towards compassion is as American as the pursuit of life and liberty. It is a not a liberal idea or a conservative idea. It is the cornerstone of the fight for justice led by great men and women like Abraham, Frederick, Sojourner, Cesar, Susan B., Martin, Harvey and Shirley. It is the beat of America’s heart that will pulsate through our nation’s complicated, and sometimes ugly, history and ultimately allow us to live as One United States of America. It is the ray of light that shines brightly upon this new day. It is the essence of the vision laid forth by President Barack Obama on the cold, Monday morning on the steps of the Capitol Building. 

So, we wake up the next day, and we continue. We continue pushing forward towards a more compassionate, a more tolerant and a more generous America that gives every human being, regardless of race, age, creed, color, gender or sexual orientation, the dignity they deserve. That is the life-long mission of our generation, and we know that we were made for this moment. Thank you Mr. President, for letting us have that chance.

~Michael Skolnik 

Michael Skolnik is the Editor-In-Chief of GlobalGrind.com and the political director to Russell Simmons. Prior to this, Michael was an award-winning filmmaker. Follow him on twitter @MichaelSkolnik