Seattle PI Post

Post for Seattle PI:
Two words that summarize what Barack Obama’s inauguration means to me are: inclusion and tolerance. Over the past few years it has been increasingly difficult to have conversations about important social and political issues with family members and friends. I stayed away from discussions that I knew would make people angry, discussions that might result in conflicted relationships. However, I longed for opportunities to dialogue about a range of ideas and it seemed that I only found conference with those holding similar political orientations.

So the coming inauguration gestures toward willingness to reengage risky conversations. In fact, I recently talked with a family member about Obama’s presidency, and he commented that “we will have to see what happens”. I agree, and I am glad at least for this measure of openness.