My passport to the single-most historic event in American history

The invitation to the Obama Home States Ball on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009, is something I'll always keep etched in my mind. It was such an impressive looking red, white and blue invitation with a silver seal announcing the inauguration of the president and vice president of the United States. This grand event, the 56th Presidential Inauguration, with the official theme for "Renewing America's Promise," took place at the Washington Convention Center in our nation's capitol. It was a black tie affair to be remembered and I, Jeff Burns, Jr., was fortunate enough to be a part of this grand celebration.
Who knew this South Carolina-native and one of the Five Towns' own would one day be attending a formal ball saluting Barack H. Obama, the 44th president of the United States. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. knew. The Dreamer believed there would be an African-American president one day. Senator Robert Kennedy knew and even predicted (back in 1968) it would happen within 40 years. My treasured invitation to the ball was my passport to the single-most historic event in American history.
While millions of people around the world watched all the pomp and ceremony surrounding the week's inaugural activities on television and desktop computers, I was there, in person, experiencing and witnessing firsthand the swearing-in ceremonies of a charismatic U.S. Senator from Illinois who dared to believe he could be president of the most powerful and wealthiest nation on earth. He held fast to his dream and kept his faith in his believe that he would be elected to the highest office in the land.
As I looked out on the dance floor at President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama I knew "change had come." People from every corner of our country and nations around the world had come to Washington, D.C., to celebrate and bear witness to monumental change. They were there, in spite of frigid temperatures, to be a part of history, to be able to say, "I was there" when President Obama took the oath of office as he placed his hand upon President Lincoln's bible held by his wife, First Lady. Oh how beautiful and proud they were!
Over the past few days, I've also reflected on the fact that I was personally involved in planning and hosting a pre-inaugural ball
fundraiser at the French Embassy for my alma mater Howard University, one of Washington, D.C.'s premier colleges. It was a great event devoted to an educational cause and in line with the president's mandate of giving back through service to our communities.
Throughout all of the galas, concerts, parades and VIP events leading up to the Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremonies, my mind wondered about those black slaves who helped build the U.S. Capitol Building and the White House. Do you think somehow they knew what was now taking place? What about the countless number of civil rights workers who fought tirelessly for the right to vote and what about all of the black soldiers, including my own father, who fought in foreign wars for this country and have transitioned from this life. I believe their spirits were there taking it all in and testifying that their life's work was not in vain, and that the United States of America was indeed now living out its creed.