Inaguration

"We the people declare today that the most evident of truth that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls and Selma and Stonewall. . ."

--President Barack Obama

            Here are some facts for you: the Seneca Falls Convention took place in 1848, the Selma to Montgomery Marches happened in 1965, and the Stonewall Riots occurred in 1969. These three events were major turning points in America's history. Seneca Falls was the beginning of the Women's Rights Movement, the Selma Marches furthered the Civil Rights Movement, and the Stonewall Riots helped began the Gay Rights movement.

            President Obama utilized these three examples in his second inaugural address. He managed to be inspirational with this speech, but it wasn't really his words. He used these points because they were to be surefire hits with the American people. . .because they already were. But good points always need repeating because everyone is not treated equal.

            There were so many pioneers who strived to make headway for women, people of color, or any sexual orientation. Elizabeth Cady Stanton spoke out in Seneca Falls for the equal treatment of women. And yet in 2013, Caucasian women only make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. Over 165 years have passed since the first women's rights movement began and yet we're still not there. America is supposed to be the land of opportunity for everyone, and yet it isn't. Women have just been granted the right to fight on the front line of battle. Not to mention that only 18% of Congress is made up of women. If the government is supposed to be a representation of the US population, should Congress be 50% women?

            The next issue that Obama brought up was the Civil Rights Movement. Again we are not equal in this respect either. We may have more vocal pioneers in this movement than in the Women's Movement. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are still around furthering the Civil Rights Movement. But the rest of the United States is not yet to the point of accepting people of all races as being equal. A year ago this month, Trayvon Martin was gunned down in a gated community because of racial profiling. There was a "March for Peace" in Miami to celebrate his life that was tragically cut short. America is supposedly a "Melting Pot" but yet people are simmering in their own vats of hatred that still are capable of boiling over.

            The final reference that President Obama alluded to was the Stonewall Riots which occurred between the gay community and the NYPD at the Stonewall Inn. This event was credited with beginning the Gay Rights Movement. Again, America is not to the finite point in this movement either. As of January 2013, only nine states have legalized gay marriage. Gay couples do not have the same rights as straight couples. Gay couples have harder times adopting children or even inheriting property in the event one of them dies. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, which prohibited military personnel from harassing or discriminating against closeted homosexuals while barring openly gay people from military services, was only repealed in 2011.

            No matter how much Americans try to tell themselves that they are "created equal" they actually have put the effort into treating everyone equally. Every one of us need to be pioneers in furthering the equality of all human beings. Take action and stand up for what is right. A person doesn't need to lead a march or start a riot, but the smallest of actions can cause a change. We just have to take that first step towards action. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "Be the change that you wish to see in the world."