Within the last week, I have had the opportunity to consider the effects of a belief in “fate” or “faith.”

I thought the discussion was particularly appropriate considering the inauguration of President Barack Obama on Tuesday. How did we get to this point? Did fate lead us here, or was it faith?

Certainly, for people my age and older, the possibility of an African American being elected president was never anything we considered a possibility, if we considered it at all. People my age remember the civil rights struggles of the 1960s: The marches in Alabama, the dogs and fire hoses of Birmingham, the lynchings throughout the South, the march on Washington, and the speech. We also remember the assassinations, and the resulting grief and violence, with burning cities as smoldering sentinels to change coming too slowly, or not at all.

When Mr. Obama stood with his hand on the Lincoln Bible to take the oath, he stood with thousands and thousands of dedicated and passionate Americans who went before him, who defied the inequalities, who spoke and sang for a new day, only to never see that day arrive. His election is the fulfillment of the dream of which Dr. Martin Luther King so eloquently spoke of 45 years ago.

At the moment Mr. Obama took the oath of office, he provided a living testimonial that described how far we have come as a nation, as a people. His inauguration was a continuing expansion in the definition of what it means to be an American. His election provided some answers to the question, “How far have we come?” It is for the rest of us to decide how much farther we must go.

We must guard the lessons of this historic moment carefully, lest we believe that the dreams of many are capable of being carried by only one. We must understand this election defines success as being comprised of many colors, and not lose that importance for our children. We must recognize there is still much work to be done and use the occasion of Mr. Obama’s presidency to rededicate ourselves to the principles of justice and equality for all. We must help our children understand this is a beginning, not an ending. And we must be prepared to assist and facilitate and teach all children all the time.

So…fate or faith? I say faith, as I believe it has been faith, combined with hope, that has nourished our spirit in the darkest days, that has brought us together over time, that has provided the light to sustain our work, and that has given us a place to land when we fell. Faith in the basic goodness of man is what sustains us as a community, a community that now will be led by an African American. Faith led us here today.

Teachers, I hope you had an opportunity to watch, with your students, President Obama take the oath of office and hear his inaugural address. It will be one of those moments by which we mark time with our children and grandchildren.