Barack Obama Sworn In As 44th U.S. President

January 20, 2009 will go down as one of the most notable dates in history. Today, Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America.

This past November, this very blog referred to the United States presidential election as “history making” and Obama’s candidacy as “making waves and headlines all over the world”.

Truly, today’s inauguration of a Barack Obama as president of the United States is an occurrence that many people for many years thought would NEVER happen. In his inaugural address, Obama referred to himself as “a man whose father, less than 60 years ago, might not have been served at a local restaurant (but) can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath”.

Also, in his inaugural address, Barack Obama focused his attention on the concept of unity and equality amongst all. Echoing the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – whose birthday was recognized as a national holiday in the U.S. just yesterday – Obama spoke about working in conjunction with “old friends and former foes” in an effort to bring a greater sense of peace to the world.

Over 2 million people gathered in Washington, D.C. to witness this historic occasion. Many, of course, hopeful that the change that Obama has spoken at length about will now come. Even though it may come slowly, as he has affirmed a number of times, today many across the world are unified by the hope of a more prosperous and peaceful future.