Thoughts on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 2009

I have been touched and inspired by the enthusiasm, the commitment, and the connections expressed by people across America on the eve of Inauguration Day 2009. The historic aspect of President-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony tomorrow, January 20, as the first African-American President of the United States, makes the significance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day all the more powerful. King's "I have a dream …" may not yet be fulfilled but we have moved closer to the possibility of its realization. That makes me proud.