Obama's Dream at the Lincoln Memorial
The night after Barak Obama's election, I took a stroll to the Lincoln Memorial. I was contemplating that on 20 January 2009 Obama would probably be standing in the snow on the steps of the US Capitol down the east end of the Mall at his inauguration. I was kicking up the autumn leaves on my way to that marble step in front of the Lincoln Memorial. It is etched with the inscription:
I HAVE A DREAM
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR
THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON
FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM
AUGUST 28, 1963
Marvelling at the Washington Monument shimmering in the Reflecting Pool and the lit Capitol in the distance, I made my way down the stairs. There I was surprised to meet Brett Solomon (pictured) who had done so much with the Get Up organisation in Australia raising public awareness about issues such as climate change, reconciliation, and the plight of boat people held in detention. Each of us wondered what the other was doing inside the Beltway at such an historic moment. Brett is now working out of New York with Avaaz, an organisation which describes itself as 'a community of global citizens who take action on the major issues facing the world today'. There in front of me was Brett's latest imaginative handiwork — a wooden, prefabricated wall in front of the Reflecting Pool. It carried a banner headline that echoed the refrain from Grant Park Chicago the previous night: 'Yes we can'.
Congratulations President Obama. Change Won't be Easy but…
Together, As One World, Yes We Can
The wall had been up for a few hours only. Thousands of people had already signed it, attaching photos and messages. Now that night had fallen, Brett was on standby lest the police come and remove it. The central message on the wall read:
As citizens across the world, we congratulate you on your election, and celebrate your campaign commitments to sign a strong new global treaty on climate change, close Guantanamo prison and end torture, withdraw carefully from Iraq, and double aid to fight poverty. No one country or leader can meet the world's most pressing challenges alone, but working together as one world in a spirit of dialogue and cooperation, yes we can bring real and lasting change.
Next morning the spec built wall was the front page photo in the Washington Post (pictured).
The Obama rhetorical message of hope and change