David Patterson took the oath of office on Monday, March 17th, before the New York state legislature.  His focus, after Elliot Spitzer's fall from grace, was one of unity, calling on the members of the state senate and house to renew their own oath to the citizens of New York.  Building on the themes of community and opportunity in his first speech as governor, his cadence was loud and clear, accented by the brief pauses that hallmark his unique speaking style.  And in those brief moments of silence between thoughts, I gained a greater sense of the return to community values in a system of government that was greatly damaged these past weeks.

If anyone in government knows the importance of community values, it would be the newly appointed Chief Executive of New York State.  Myself, legally blind since birth, I have seen the importance that community plays in breaking down the obstacles of physical disability.  At a time when an estimated 70 percent of legally blind Americans are unemployed, slightly higher than the national average of all persons with special needs, the resonance of Patterson's success strikes a powerful chord.

On the issue of fostering community values in America, moving us from "Me The People," to "We The People," it is important to remind ourselves that we can't gain full opportunity all alone.  we are, by nature of our being, dependent on one another.  Yet, there are many who can't see this; who suffer from a social blindness, able to only look inward, not outward.

Patterson, however, is an excellent role model for showing us all how we can open our eyes, someone who can show us the power a community has in bringing about change.  In his first speech as governor, Patterson captured   My own personal experience, as someone who has risen above the challenges of his own disability.  Community becomes one of the strongest values in bringing about equality.  It is, as I see it, a fundamental value where other key values are born--values such as mobility, voice, security, equality--and as recent events show--redemption would have little strength if not for the will of the people.  Without the willingness of others to lend a helping hand, I could have never taken that first step into a crowded street; I could have never risen to the status where I can take care of myself.  What kind of voice would I have, if I stayed locked in my room surrounded only by my darkness? 

The reality is that there are millions of Americans who are still left in the dark recesses of isolation.  Not simply the millions of legally blind Americans, but millions of others; those who suffer from other physical disabilities, those who suffer from addiction, those who just arrived in America and don't have the language or resources to even learn what the American dream is all about.  And then there are those who have been shunned from society by the actions of their own broken humanity and seek forgiveness.  What is wonderful about community values is that when we reach out to those in need, we all take hold of the American dream.

Patterson had to overcome many of the same obstacles that I and thousands of blind Americans faced in our youth.  His actions to heal a divided community reassure me of this.  In many ways, the obstacles were even greater, being not only the first blind governor in the United States, but also the forth african American governor in U.S. history.  These hallmarks are not simply rewards for Gov. Patterson, but they are rewards for all Americans, as we work to move closer to a land of opportunity for all.

Through Patterson's rise to success, regardless of his lack of literal vision, he has sculpted a metaphorical vision that is capable of opening the eyes of many Americans to the power of community values.  Time and time again, people come up to me and express their admiration at what I've been able to accomplish despite my own blindness.  I can only imagine that Gov. Patterson has heard this ten fold.  And as he stood before the state legislature, recounting all the New York communities who touched his life, I believe he was speaking a greater message to a greater audience. 

Community values don't just lift up those in need, but they lift up our entire community.  Gov. Patterson demonstrated this when he called on both houses of the New York State legislature to join him in renewing their oaths to office. He knows well that change and opportunity come not through just one individual, but through an entire community.  And when we, as a community, reach out to those in the dark, we all see the world around us in a better light.