By Susan Kluttz
For The Salisbury Post
Editor’s note: Salisbury Mayor Susan Kluttz attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C. and a meeting of the N.C. Metropolitan Mayors Coalition, Saturday through Monday. She stayed in Washington for the inauguration.There are several reasons why this inauguration is important to me. I was in Washington 40 years ago when Martin Luther King Jr. was killed. I was 18 years old, and a freshman at Mount Vernon Junior College.
I was there the day he was shot and in the days that followed. It was a very sad and very scary time to be in Washington.
There were three days of riots. The campuss I was on was locked down immediately, but we could see the fires.
It’s so significant for me to be back 40 years later for a happy time, for the inauguration of a black president.
It’s not just the black population that’s celebrating. It’s people of all races.
To be honest, I didn’t feel like I would see this in my lifetime.
I’m not sure what the effect of the King experience had on me as far as race relations. My husband, Bill, has been concerned about it, too. Always.
When we moved back to Salisbury in 1975, we were frustrated that things in race relations weren’t moving faster. We felt a responsibility because we were both from here.
When I decided to run for mayor 12 years ago, I had hoped that more could be done with race relations.
I feel good about the fact that I’ve seen improvement here. We still have a lot to be done. Fighting racism is something you can easily get burned out on because it moves so slowly and it’s so hard to conquer.
So you have to keep hope and optimism. You have to appreciate small strides you make. The MLK Humanitarian Breakfast outgrowing the Civic Center is a sign to me that things are better. That used to be an all-black event. Now it’s multiracial.
Better race relations really is the foundation of a successful community. You can’t be successful as a community unless you have that foundation first.
The magnitude of all this really hit me the day after the election, when I walked into the City Council chamber full of third-graders. My purpose in talking with them is to try to instill in them the hope that they can be successful.
Last year, a black child raised his hand and said that he was going to be the first black president. When I walked in and saw these children on the day after the election, it dawned on me that this generation wouldn’t have to wait for a black president. They wouldn’t be the first. This is just all hard to me for take in.
Another reason this inauguration is significant is that our country is in a crisis right now in several ways. The financial crisis affects the entire population at all levels ó from the richest to the poorest, in different ways.
It’s had an effect on everybody.
This country is in a crisis right now, and we’re desperate for hope.
I know it’s going to be slow. But if this crisis could be solved, and it could be solved by a black president, it would have a tremendous effect on racism and prejudice in this country.
Obama is a wonderful role model for people of all ages ó especially those who may not have a father figure in their life. It shows the importance of education in life.
While I’ve been in office, the most important thing for me is to bring hope to this community. That is an important word to me. Hope that people’s lives will be better. Hope that the community will improve. Hope that race relations will be better. Hope is important in the things I’ve chosen to focus on.
That’s why I’m optimistic about this presidency and the effect it will have on the community and the nation.
And that’s why I want to be there on Tuesday when history is made.