by Melanie Aves

Created on: January 20, 2009

This year, more than ever before, Martin Luther King Day reminds me that we have made some progress while I've been on the face of the earth. In my college days we were required to attend a chapel service twice each week. That's right, they actually took attendance, awarded credits for being present and required chapel "credits" for any degree awarded. This sounds arcane today, doesn't it?

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke several times at our chapel service while I was a student, and he was very impressive. I became a big supporter of civil rights, and could not imagine why anyone should be denied anything at all because of his or her skin color. So I listened to what King had to say and was inspired that we could overcome whatever ignorance, greed and foolishness had led to racial discrimination. I attended freedom rallies on campus and sang "We Shall Overcome" with other young idealists around a roaring bonfire. Some people even got on buses for Selma, Alabama, but i was not quite that daring.

Today, as I attended a rally of excited Democrats of all ages who gathered to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, I was reminded of the idealism we felt at that earlier time, and how it fostered a hope and confidence that each person counts, each person can make a difference. At this moment, a little over 40 years after King's death, the successful result of our commitment to overcome racial bias once and for all was standing before us, speaking with confidence, and inspiring us to to tackle the enormous problems we face right now in 2009.

I live in a solidly conservative Midwest area where admitted Democrats have been few and far between until this year. Last fall an incredible turnout of fired up volunteer citizens of all ages walked through neighborhoods to personally register voters and get them out to vote for Barack Obama. Yard signs supporting Obama and Biden proliferated the streets in virtually alll parts of the community. The Democrats' signs were in place long before the slower-moving Republicans had even managed to get theirs printed. People decked themselves out with buttons proclaiming the campaign slogan "Yes We Can." The force for change was palpable, and the fact that the candidate for President was an African-American made no difference. It was a moment in time that recalled the era of Martin Luther King Jr., a moment when everyday people got excited about making something happen, and believed in the image of themselves they saw reflected in a candidate for public office.

Our best leaders are the ones who inspire us to get involved in problem solving, who encourage us to be our best selves, who model the virtues we aspire to. That is how positive change happens, that is how progress is made. Sometimes the results of a single person's efforts may not be apparent during that person's lifetime, and yet the results, when they are finally perceived, may be truly magnificent. Each one of us can be change. Yes we can.

Learn more about this author, Melanie Aves.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.