In this solo monologue, Tom Guarriello, Ph.D. reflects on the historic significance of Barack Obama’s inauguration as the 44th President. He begins by recalling where he was during three pivotal moments in American history—the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy—establishing a personal timeline of national trauma. He then frames Obama’s inauguration as a watershed moment that finally lives up to the United States’ 250‑year promise of equality, emphasizing that words about equality have often been spoken without being realized. Guarriello argues that, despite America’s many mistakes and catastrophes, no other nation has achieved what the United States has done in the past year, and he urges pride in being American. The piece ends with a light‑hearted, celebratory note as he watches the inaugural balls and admires the “little girls” present, expressing personal joy and optimism for the future.
Chapters
So today's a special day, right? I mean, watching what happened today in Washington is just one of those moments when you, you know, you kind of use as a marker in your life. You know, I remember it's one of those, do you remember where you were when kind of days. I remember where I was I guess the first one of those that I can just recall off the top of my head was John Kennedy's assassination. I remember where I was that day. I remember where I was the day Martin Luther King was killed. I remember where I was the day Bobby Kennedy was killed. And now I remember where I was the day Barack Obama was inaugurated as 44th President of the United States. I know people think that some of these things are about politics and they're about, you know, liberal and conservative and those kind of things. For me, this is way bigger than politics. This is about fulfilling a, you know, going on 250-year promise that we made to ourselves that we've never fulfilled, which is that all of us are equal. That's what we said. It took us a long time to live into the words. You know, sometimes you say words and you mean them, but you just can't live into them. And, you know, this is one of those instances in which we've lived into them. We've lived into the words today. We, you know, we made it very clear to anybody who cares to pay attention that we mean what we say. And, you know, that's a remarkable thing. There's no place else on Earth. I mean, we're, you know, we're— we've made horrible, horrible mistakes. And, you know, we've been the source of an enormous amount of catastrophe. On the earth, we Americans. But there's no place else on earth like this country. No place. There's no one who would have done what we've done over the last year. It just— it just— there is no place else. And excuse me, if you're— if you're not proud to be an American today, then I don't know why you're here. I don't know why you just don't go somewhere else. Because this is remarkable and I'm very, very happy. So I'm gonna watch the balls. Take it easy. How about those little girls? Are they delightful or what?
