I have been wrestling with the idea of my children skipping school on January 20th to witness history being made, as the first African American becomes the 44th President of the United States. It seems that I am not the only parent faced with this decision. Students are trekking from near and far to Washington D.C. to witness this historic event. It’s a phenomenal civics lesson. Students are showing that the energy and activism Obama’s campaign ignited, even among those too young to vote, in still in full swing.
On Facebook, for example, numerous groups have been formed by students planning road trips and by those angry with class schedules that conflict with the Jan. 20 ceremony. At Harvard University, hundreds of undergraduates have signed an online petition asking administrators to allow students to make up exams scheduled that day. In Montgomery County, officials initially sought to go against a regional trend and keep schools open for the inauguration, but a student petition seeking to close schools drew more than 5,000 signatures.
The Student and Youth Travel Association, based in Michigan, which includes travel agents, tour operators and bus companies, estimates that as many as 500,000 students plan to attend the inauguration. That’s five times the number who attended President Bush’s second inauguration. Debbie Gibb, the association’s associate executive director, said that one bus company recently reported that 30 of its 50 vehicles have been booked by student groups for this inauguration, compared with five in 2005. Source: The Washington Post
Though I believe Barack Obama would want our children to attend school on January 20th, you still can’t help but feel an enormous sense of pride and accomplishment that should be shared by all — young and old; black and white; Jews and Muslims; gay and straight; male and female; Republican, Independent and Democrat. My oldest son has a perfect attendance record at school and my youngest has missed two days due to illness, but I want them to witness history firsthand on television as it is being broadcast live and not later during the re-broadcasts. This will be a poignant moment, when everyone will realize that America has come a long way and finally Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream has been realized. Barack Obama will go down in history as the first African American President of the United States. Yes, this the culmination of the civil rights struggle when so many gave their lives for basic rights. The historic election was also a time when we came together, despite our ethnic background or our social standing or our educational background, to elevate a black man as the next president of the United States.
Filed under: 2009, Barack Obama, First African American President, Historic Civics Lesson, Inauguration, Inauguration Day, January 20, Students Skipping School
Black Political Thought 