Can America be agile?

As President Obama was sworn in this morning, my collegues and I huddled around a TV in the permanent exhibits of our Museum. And, although we are a small, yet loud group, we were all silenced by the President’s inaugural address. You could feel the weight of the words he spoke, and whether or not everyone in that room voted for him, there was a sense of respect and willingness to follow. I heard murmurs of “America needs this change,” and “wow, Aretha can really sing!” For me, the parts of the speech that inspired my thoughts the most were his thoughts on change. President Obama said, “for as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.” What a strong statement that attests to the personal commitment we all have to make a change. Can we continue this surge that started with the elections and continued with the masses that showed up today? That is what is so interesting about change, it only occurs when one makes it happen.

I think about change in my own life and work, which seem to meld together a lot. We have to be agile and accept change or we will suffer the fate of being passed by. Learn new ways of performing your tasks, keep your minds and actions agile and open to new thinking. For some, this is a hard task. Many have preached change, but how many have followed through to make the change permanent? This is one of the many challenges our President and other political representatives are charged in accomplishing. They, as well as ourselves, must use our talents, skills and tools to begin this process.

As President Obama eloquently, yet pointedly charged in his inaugural address:“Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.”

Alumnae Alcove

With Leadership America having so many alumnae throughout the US, it is hard sometimes to keep everyone in contact with each other. Starting in 2009, we will have an Alumnae Alcove sharing good news about our alumnae. Starting with Martha P. Farmer, founding director and interim executive director of Leadership America, Martha is helping ensure the NEW Leadership America's success. Stay tuned, and see what these amazing women are up to in 2009. If you would like to send us your stories, please email haley.curry@thewomensmuseum.org.