Davis: If Dr. King were still alive what would he say to Obama?

The following is an essay written by Michael Davis, a junior at East Boston High School and a peer listener at the Mayor's Youthline.

President Elect Barack Obama first off may I congratulate you on defining what it means to be a citizen of the United States of America, you should feel blessed to be where you are. Because of your determination and your belief in a better future for everyone, you have taken your rightful place among the greatest inspirational leaders that this world has seen so far.

All my life I fought without a moment’s hesitation for November 4th 2008.  I promised thousands on the honorable steps of the Lincoln memorial that together as a unified nation, ‘We Shall Overcome!’ Tomorrow will be a day unlike any other. This nation that has been waiting so long will finally be able stand up and say proudly, ‘We Have Overcome!’

Through hundreds of years, generations have died paving the way for men, women, and children of all races and religions to be given equal opportunities. No mountaintop is too hard to climb, a Black, White, Hispanic, or Asian can amount anything possible. Race shall not serve as the determining factor that decides the level of success for any person.

People at my age of 79 may have believed that we would never see this day. I remember April 3rd 1968 when I said ‘if you find something that your are willing to sacrifice for, there’s no point stopping short of victory.’ You, Mr. Obama, are living proof. Through years of abuse, torture, rape, and overwhelming amounts of negativity limiting minority people, today we can look at you and say ‘Yes We Can.’

You never lost sight of the statements you made on July 27, 2004, ‘There is no red America nor blue America, this is the United States of America.’ I knew that you were ready to lead this country beyond the boundaries that infect some mentalities when you said we must ‘Eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white.’

There were Jim Crow laws put in place to divide this nation, to separate people of all backgrounds from becoming social partners and to prevent a man like you (with a white mother black father) from ever existing, but I had a dream. I asked ‘this nation to rise up and live out the full meaning of its creed’ and because of you society is forced to uphold what is written in the constitution.

    We will never be able to change the past but what an honor it is to stand beside you as you create the newest chapter of our nations history books.

I congratulate you on going through a lifetime of putting others before yourself getting your message across verbally instead of physically. Please remember this as you talk to all the people of the world the day you are inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States of America. ‘We must no longer live in a world where it’s acceptable to be violent or non violent, it’s either non-violent or non-existent’. In closing I am excited to rest knowing that my children’s children will have the ability to embark upon the constitutionally granted ‘Pursuit of Happiness.’