When you get married, you become a spouse. When you have children, you become a family. When you have a vision, you become inspired. That’s when dreams become a reality. It is a relationship between cause and effect.
Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream, which many are saying is starting to be fulfilled in the person of President Barack Obama. Although the Inauguration appeared the same as many other prior events, this one was the first of its kind. The FBI had to use four times more resources for security, and 58 federal, state and local agencies provided secret service. Perhaps the need for additional protection was because not everyone has learned that a man is not to be “judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
The Inauguration affected each generation differently. I asked my grandmother why the Inauguration meant so much to her. She said she never thought she would see this happen in her lifetime. She told me about how my grandfather was a volunteer for [African-American Civil Rights activist] Medgar Evers from 1955 to 1957 while he was in high school and how he would go to his house during secret meetings. She told me about meeting Dr. Martin Luther King in 1961 on the privately funded campus of Tougaloo College where she studied education and how he visited the campus every time he was in Jackson, Mississippi. She told me about how the students at Jackson State would sneak over to her campus at night to prepare for rallies but not participate because they attended a state-funded college and were afraid they would be suspended.
She told me about how 22 groups of students were organized to sit in at the lunch counter at F.W. Woolworth. Each group of 20 to 25 students would peacefully enter the store and sit at the counter. They would wait for a waiter or waitress to offer to take their order. They would be told to go to the back counter, but they would not move. The waiter or waitress would tell them “we don’t serve coloreds here” and the police would be called, the students arrested and the next group would then take their position. After Group 19, the jails were full and the students had to be released because there was no room for Group 20. My grandmother was in Group 21.
She told me about swim-ins, the sit-in method used for the swimming pools. She said Mississippi has come a long way, but has a long way to go. “I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”
I could have written about the Inauguration attendees and performers, how Justice John G. Roberts Jr. misquoted the oath or what seems to be the talk of the town– if the First Lady made the right fashion choices, but that is not what I feel was the most important.
What is important is what President Barack Obama represents. He is a by-product, a result of another action, both intended and foreseen. The actions of those who have fought to bring change in the communities in which they lived and worked. Those who have provided the stepping stones for him to participate in the election process, win and take the oath to become the 44th President of the United States of America.
So when a group of people take a stand, a dream becomes a reality. It truly is a relationship between cause and effect, no matter how much time it takes.
Remember, “It only takes one to make a difference!”

In this corner, from Long Beach, California, weighing in at 75 pounds and standing 4 feet, 10 inches tall is Moises” Mighty Mo” Orozco.
I interviewed 11-year-old “Mighty Mo” at DG Boxing, located at 5660 E. Pacific Coast Highway. While at the gym, I learned he started his career at the age of eight with the Police Athletic League (PAL) Boxing Program. PAL is one of the programs the City of Long Beach has recommended for elimination. We will know this month if the council members feel the three PAL locations, which past and present participants have said helped them stay out of trouble, should remain in operation. “The PAL coach helps me by working the corner,” said “Mighty Mo.”
“Mighty Mo” runs three to four miles a day and works out two to two-and-a-half hours Monday to Friday. He believes to be a good boxer takes conditioning and training. No special diet is required, just eating healthy. He has two younger sisters, is home schooled and is in the seventh grade. Although he has won 10 championships and is currently ranked the #1 amateur boxer for his class, when asked if he wanted to be a boxer when he grew up, he replied, “No, I want to be a lawyer.”
You have an opportunity to see “Mighty Mo,” the first youth to win the world’s largest amateur boxing tournament three consecutive years, on September 21 at DG Boxing presents Fight Night At the Pyramid. Doors open at noon. Tickets start at $24 and can be purchased online at www.dgboxinggyms.com. For more information call (562) 986-9421.
That is all for this week and remember, “It only takes one to make a difference”!

There were all makes, models and colors. Huffy, Mongoose, pink and red tricycles, brown and green trick bikes and yes, even a red low rider. Where? At the Wrigley Area Neighborhood Alliances Inc. (WANA) and the City of Long Beach Department of Community Development’s Family Bike Safety Rodeo, which took place at Birney Elementary School on Saturday, August 16 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
After signing in at the registration table, the 51 kids stood in line to have their heads measured for a free bicycle helmet. Now! Onto the bike-safety inspection table. It was here I learned my new bike had a defective front brake, and the front reflector fell off during inspection. When my dad came back from exchanging my bike, I took it to be inspected and it passed. Wearing my helmet, I participated in the four bike-safety skill courses and passed. The courses tested the cyclists’ abilities to turn in limited spaces by making a figure eight, their ability to maneuver in and out of cones and how they understood signaling. For lunch we had a choice of burritos or pizza with water to drink. After lunch there was an opportunity drawing where the winners received great bike accessories.
During the event kids played Bike Safety Bingo. They answered questions such as, “Where is the safest place to cross the street with your bike?” The answer is “the crosswalk.” Herbie, Long Beach Police Department’s talking patrol car, gave safety tips such as wearing a helmet every time you ride a bike, wearing a seatbelt while riding in a car and, most of all, the importance of pulling over when you hear a wailing or yelping siren. As you can see, all of us had a good time.
If you did not have a chance to go to this one, do not worry! This event was made possible by a $350,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety. The grant is for two years and started October 2007 and ends September 2009. It allows the City of Long Beach Department of Community Development to have 15 safety rodeos throughout the city. Mark your calendar– the fifth one will be a safety rodeo and safety fair on Saturday, September 13 at Drake Park. Bring your bike if you want a free helmet!
That is all for this week and remember, “It only takes one to make a difference!”