With over 800 facebook friends and roughly 2,000 twitter followers I’d like to think that I’m pretty knowledgeable about the happenings in the social media world.  I regularly read popular blogs such as TechCrunch, Engadget, Gizmodo, etc and do my best to stay up to date on the latest news in the tech industry.

I’m not blaming this issue on anyone in particular or trying to call anyone out, I’m simply curious as to why this has turned into such a large void of representation.  If I were in search of black people in the sports and entertainment industry online there would be no such shortage as the web is super saturated with these personalities.  I keep seeing lists of the top/key individuals in the industry, yet I never rarely see someone who looks like me.

It would be nice to not always be the only brown skinned person in the room when I attend tech events.  It would be nice to not be the only black guy in the office.  Can someone please tell me what gives?

I remember sitting in the room that morning with 100 other people and giving the following oath:

“I, Shawn Scott, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

I remember getting off the bus in the middle night being yelled at from a million different directions, calling everyone a sergeant out of sheer fear and ignorance.  I remember the first week of in-processing, going through the variety of stations required to become a soldier.

I remember getting off that cattle truck and the world as I knew it coming to a screeching halt.  I remember standing in the blaring sun for 3 hours with a duffle bag on my back and cradling another to my chest.  I remember the sheer exhaustion of just standing there, listening to drill sergeants bark out orders while sweat poured down my face.

I remember the countless times of getting “smoked”.  I remember all the times when I heard “half left face” and just moaned because I knew what was coming next. I remember the many nights of pulling fire guard, especially when my time fell between 2-4 am.

I remember mail call, the anticipation of getting a letter from home, and the disappointment when my name was never called.  I remember the feeling of joy I experience the first time my name was called and I received an envelope with my name on it.

I remember the morning going into the gas chamber and the feeling of losing total control of my body.  I remember the confidence course and climbing the 50 foot wall with nothing to support me but the fear of falling.

I remember graduation day and the feeling of accomplishment I had for making it through the entire experience.  I remember watching my friends hugging their parents and family members, longing to know how that would feel.

I remember the bus ride from Dallas to Fort Stewart, GA.  I remember stopping at every little town in between over the course of that 36 hour trip.  I remember when I finally arrived and the week that followed with more processing and lots of immunizations.

I remember my first deployment, of all places to go it was Ft. Bliss, TX.  I remember stopping through DFW on the way home and my mom meeting me in the airport and the easter basket she left me with.  I remember the look on her face when she was finally able to see that I was OK and really maturing.

I remember being in the field with the Rangers for a week, unable to bathe or shower.  I remember digging my first foxhole with a handheld shovel.  I remember all the gun ranges and all the stuff I shot and blew up.

I remember the car wreck that changed everything.  I remember driving by the guy that hit us as he pulled over to get beer out of his trunk.  I remember sitting at the light one minute and the big crash the next.  I remember the pain I experienced over the next few weeks as I recuperated from my body absorbing the impact of that crash.

I remember getting the choice to go home or stay, and choosing to come back to Texas.  I remember the long drive home cross country in my new car.  I remember the next 7 years of my time in the reserves.

I remember the phone call from my mom saying I had a letter from the Department of the Army.  I remember her telling me it was my final discharge papers and that I was finally done, in the midst of a brand new war.  I remember the relief.

Yesterday I attended the We Are One concert, which was designed to be a kickoff of sorts of things to come. As you can see from this picture there were people as far as the eye could see. People made the trek to DC from all over the country to be a part of this special event. While most of us could only see the events from the gaze of a Jumbotron monitor it was ok because we were there. There were people from all walks of life, all nationalities, and all ages, all with the single mission of witnessing one of the greatest events in the history of our country.

From the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument if there was an inch of space, someone was standing in it.  Now of course there was some pushing and shoving at people tried to manuever for a better view but overall it was a great experience because everyone remembered why they were there and refused to let anything or anyone compromise that.

This morning I was on Twitter and the question was posed, “Has MLK’s dream been realized”.  After  a little thought, my answer was no.  I don’t personally believe that it ever will be truly realized.  I believe the true power behind his dream is that it is something that we have to constantly work at.  We will never reach a point in time where the work is over and there is nothing left to do.  Every day we are faced with the challenge of creating a world where people are judged only by the content of their character.  We are also challenged to raise our characters to a level that we would even want to be judged by.

I titled this post A Change Has Come because I think America has finally hit a critical turning point.  Through all of our ups and downs we have learned some valuable lessons and we are learning more and more that we are all in this together.  The only way we are going to make it through is to stand together and work things out.  We will never be perfect, but we MUST continue to strive for perfection.

I should be back in Dallas full time in a couple weeks and once I get settled in, I “promise” to post more frequently. In the mean time I need to get through all the inauguration stuff this weekend and prepare to go to Phoenix for the National Sports Forum next weekend.

Talk to you guys soon…