Remarks by U.S. Ambassador Eric G. John, Digital Video Conference on President's Inauguration and Black History Month - February 5, 2009
Thank you, Anne. I'd like to welcome our guests here in Bangkok, and at the American corners in Pattani, Yala, and Nakhorn Si Thammarat.
We wanted to talk to you today because the United States is at a remarkable moment in its history. On January 20, Barack Obama, took the oath of office and became President of the United States.
In a sense, the peaceful transition of power from one president to another, and from one political party to another, is always an interesting example of democracy in action.
But what made the inauguration of Barack Obama truly historic was the fact that the American people elected an African-American to lead our country.
To understand how important a moment this was, you have to know a little about the history of African-Americans in the United States.
Every year, Americans are reminded of this history in the month of February, which we have designated as "Black History Month." This year, Black History Month takes on a special meaning.
It has been a grim history, beginning with the importation of Africans to work as slaves in the American colonies. Now, the United States was neither the first country nor the last to practice slavery, but it's important to realize that from the very beginning of our country there were people who fought to abolish slavery.
The first abolitionist group in America was formed in 1775, and some of our founding fathers, including Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin were outspoken abolitionists.
While all the northern states eliminated slavery by 1804, it wasn't until 1863, in the middle of our Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves. After the North won that war in 1865, the United States amended its constitution and eliminated slavery in all the states.
One week from today is Abraham Lincoln's birthday, which we will celebrate on February 16 as a national holiday. Lincoln's role in freeing the slaves is one of the reasons that Black History Month falls in February, the month of his birthday.
The emancipation proclamation did not automatically mean equality for African-Americans. They continued to be deprived of many civil rights, segregated from the white population, and denied equal educational and economic opportunities. Another century had passed before the struggle for equality under the law brought a major victory.
During the 1950s and 60s a civil rights movement arose in America to challenge the inferior status of African-Americans in U.S. society. In 1963, a leader of that movement, Dr. Martin Luther King gave one of the most important speeches in American history. In that speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington he said:
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
Several months after this speech, President John F. Kennedy's Civil Rights Act was passed. This law banned discrimination in public places and in employment. Then President Johnson, who became president after Kennedy was assassinated, reinforced this law by gaining passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
These laws changed a lot for African-Americans, but racial prejudice and discrimination did not end immediately. There has been steady progress since that time, but racial prejudice remains a problem.
But the election of Barack Obama is a true watershed. It is proof that Americans may now be able to judge their fellow citizens not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
President Obama's inauguration was rich with symbols of the long struggle of the African-American people. President Obama honored Dr. King's memory in a speech at the Lincoln Memorial on the occasion of our national Martin Luther King holiday, the day before the inauguration.
President Obama consciously evoked the memory of President Lincoln. Like Lincoln, Obama rode a train from Chicago to Washington for his inauguration. He was sworn in on the same bible that President Lincoln had used, and called Lincoln "the man who in so many ways made this day possible."
Along with Dr. King and President Lincoln, President Obama is a very talented speaker. One of my favorite passages from his inaugural speech celebrates the fact that America is made up not only of blacks and whites, but of people from all cultures.
As a man whose father is from Kenya, whose mother is from Kansas, and who has lived in Indonesia and the Pacific islands of Hawaii, he is uniquely qualified to talk about this idea. He said :
We know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass, that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve, that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself, and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
I hope you've learned a little about the U.S. Presidential Inauguration, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, and Black History Month today. Before Assistant Secretary Jacobs gets here, I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have.