'Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!' The powerful words of an old spiritual hymn tell it all: we are free at last. Free from the discriminations and prejudices of the past. Free from segregation. Free from all that keeps us standing apart. Free to become one nation, one people, one America.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made his memorable 'I have a dream'' speech in August of 1963. Racism controlled the United States at that time. Caucasians and African-Americans were treated anything but equally. That's the way it had always been. That's the way many believed it always should be. No one realized it then, but change was coming.

Today, Barak Obama has taken office as the President of the United States. He campaigned as an American and won as an American. No more or less. However, his inauguration was like no other before. Race knows no boundaries any longer. Now, over 100 years after the Emaciation Proclamation was signed, declaring that all men are created equal, Dr. King's dream has finally been achieved.

In his own words, 'We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline'' So many people have suffered for the better of our country. So many people have laid down their lives to make this world a better place. Even Dr. King himself paid the ultimate price for doing what was right.
Justice has finally been served. It is the present day that we are called to put aside our differences and work together as one. No matter what our religion, or skin color, or ethnicity, each of us is an American alike. Although the task at hand may seem impossible at times, we will persevere. For it is as Martin Luther King Jr. said ,
'We cannot walk alone'We cannot turn back.'