Variations of an inspiring quote have appeared in our local newspaper and on the internet.  It is unclear where it originated.  But whoever said it first – the quote articulates what I have not been able to put into words since the election. Here are a few of the versions I have found on the net:

“I need y’all to be really, really quiet for this. I need you to really understand what I’m telling you. …Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King could walk. Martin Luther King walked so Obama could run. Obama’s running so we all can fly.” Jay-Z

Crispus fell, so Rosa Parks could sit. Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King, Jr. could march. Martin Luther King, Jr. marched so Barack Obama could run. Barack is running so our children can FLY!  Unattibuted

“Rosa sat so Martin could walk. Martin walked, so Obama could run. Obama is running so our children can fly.” Unidentified email message

Now that the election has taken place, I’d like to suggest a simple change in tense:

“Rosa sat so Martin could walk. Martin walked, so Obama could run. Obama ran so our children can fly.”