Proud to be an American

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Barack Hussein Obama was sworn into the office as the 44th President of the United States of America. Today. January 20, 2009...

What would Martin Luther King, Jr. say today if he were alive? He would have been 80 years old on January 15, 2009 (five days ago, which happens to be my own birthday). Did he, in his wildest of dreams, dream that a black man would become the president of this great nation only 45 years after he gave that extraordinary speech (8/28/1963) in Washington D.C.? Obama was only 2 years old when MLK spoke those unforgettable words. Who could have imagined?

I became a citizen of the United States on December 17, 1981, one month before I turned 18. I saw a news clip earlier today, wherein a woman (naturalized citizen) stated that she actually felt like an American today. As I listened, I heard myself muttering, "Yes... me too."

Strange but true... I never realized until now that even with my citizenship, I had felt like a stranger in a foreign land all along. When the woman made that remark, it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks that yes, I am every bit a citizen of this nation. I belong here. I am a part of everything that makes this country great, and I am also a part of all the blemishes that it may have. I am not an outsider looking in but a person (albeit very small) who represents what we stand for... what we fight for. And I took part in the making of this day.

Why not until now? I'm not exactly sure; but at last, I genuinely feel it. I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN. It is truly an honor and a privilege... not to be taken for granted.