Bruce Williams proposed to his wife at the January 20, 2009 Washington, DC inauguration ceremony of the 44th president of the United States, Chicago’s own Barack Obama.
“Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred,” Obama’s speech on that day went. “Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many—and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.”
But, the inaugural speech continued: “On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”
