As a young woman decended from slaves and indentured servants, small business owners and obscure creative minds, today is one of the happiest and most triumphant days that I’ve had in a long time. The beginning of Barack Obama’s presidency signals an era of hope for me, and for many Americans who feel as though they’ve been let down by their leaders. As a young woman of mixed heritage, I feel as though I can breathe again.
Although the young woman decended from hard workers couldn’t wait to get out of bed this morning, the geeky side of my personality wasn’t terribly excited about today. She grumbled out of bed, let out a wide yawn while making her coffee, and groggily turned CNN on to watch the inauguration. “Hooray for a president that believes in science– now can I go back to bed?”
She was quickly silenced and brought wide awake after Joe Biden was sworn in as our Vice President and a “unique musical performance” was announced.
Anthony McGill on clarinet, Gabriela Montero on piano, Itzhak Perlman on violin. Cool.
Yo-Yo Ma on Cello? Awesome!
Performing a piece written by… JOHN WILLIAMS? You know, the guy who composed music for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park, among others? Yeah, that guy.
It was an excellent primer for Obama’s speech, which was bewilderingly uplifting on its own. I was overwhelmed with joy and hope when an orchestra of such prestige played an original piece of music written for such a memorable occasion.
Because of this, it suddenly feels like it will be a new era for art and science. This geek cred is well-earned, Mr. President.
Jack's Blag 