The CC Weekly Weigh In: We Have Some Dreams

Next week is pretty huge. Not only is Barack Obama being inaugurated as the first black president of the United States, but it is all happening the day after Martin Luther King Day.

By CC Staff

MLK Day is often thought of as just another day off of school and a glorious long weekend, but this year – more than any other year – should be different.

MLK died in his efforts to get equal rights for African American men and women. And now, 40 years later, a black man will finally be president. The thought is chilling, and has inspired all of us to dream again. Our dreams and goals really can become reality.

So this week, in honor of MLK, Obama, and history in the making, the CC writers share their dreams for the United States and our futures.

Elisabeth – UA Huntsville: It would be nice to see deserving students be able to get the financial help they need for school without having to jump through ridiculously tiny hoops.

Brithny – Duke University: My dream is to get more sleep so I can actually have dreams. The REM-induced ones.

John – UConn: I’ve got two dreams: one, a world where we fix our broken culture of masculinity, so young men get the chance to grow up and be normal, useful people instead of overcompetitive, bigoted, emotionally crippled date rapists. Two, which is I guess more of a nightmare, a world that doesn’t get nuked, globally warmed, smacked with an asteroid, aerosolized, Ebola’d or Gray Goo’d within my lifetime. Or ever, I guess.

Lauren – University of Michigan: It would be nice to see the American automakers producing cutting-edge technology to allow us to compete in the world market again and save the state of Michigan.

Amanda – Wagner: I would like to see our rights as women protected. I would also like to see more shirtless Obama!

Alex – Lakehead University: My dream is for the war in Iraq to be completely over and done with and have all the soldiers back home.

Thu – USC: More people being environmentally conscious. I know that more are becoming aware of their effect on the environment, so that’s already a great step toward improving our surroundings.

Meregan – Brown University: I would like Americans to be proud of this country again.

Mazuba – Westchester Community College: My dream is for Barack Obama to have a successful year in office and to solve the economic crisis. I also hope he helps use his power to end the war in Darfur .

Maddie – Tufts: I want to see college tuition made cheaper. Too many students are deprived of a good education because they can’t afford $50,000 (frightening, right?) a year.

Sarabeth – University of Texas: My dream is for gay couples to be legally recognized in this county; be that gay marriage, civil union, whatever. Give them the rights they deserve.

Elizabeth – UC Berkeley: I would like to see America make environment-friendly practices a priority.

Sarah – East Carolina University: I’d like to see the country unified and patriotic again, like we were just after 9/11. But we’re pretty polarized.