On January 18, 2009 my husband and I joined thousands of other ordinary Americans in our first, great pilgrimage to a presidential inauguration. In my mind, it'll always be OBAMAland. I was like a kid on Christmas morning. My giddiness was captured in my day-by-day blog:
Day One: Sunday on the Mall
From the very beginning it felt like the adventure of a lifetime. We were worried about the temperature but excited about this moment, this time, this America. You could feel the very pulse of excitement at Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport where you could see on people's faces which ones were going to OBAMAland!!! We were lucky to have first-class seats and the entire first-class section of the flight was African-Americans! Not elite, not uppity, not "better than" - just a statement that this was something so special and so rare, it was worth and extra penny or two. Many of us were born in the 50's and can remember our parents having to take segregated transportation and here we were on our way to a PROMISE.
We were stacked, thousands upon thousands for the concert and you could not hear one complaint. There were police, guardsman, military and security everywhere. But in the end, they were us, we were them. They helped us move to the best viewing locations, they took our pictures, answered our questions, helped the disabled, ... ... and made us proud. My favorite were the young Army soldiers who smiled and waved next to their Humvees and made you so proud to be in the same air.
We were treated to "sing-a-long" music from Garth Brooks, and BONO. We danced with each other to the music of Usher and Stevie - two generations, ONE magic moment. The words of Jack Black about Roosevelt protecting our National Forest were especially important to me. There were all kinds of singing in the crowd too and the feeling from all of us, we had answered a call - this is our country and we're going to help each other "transform" our tomorrows. When Obama came to the stage, the crowd rose in unison and it was just electricity and just as quickly, a half million people got quite and we hung on every word. We began on the National Mall - republicans, democrats, young, old, gay, white, black, rich, poor and even a few oddballs thrown in for good measure. You could feel the hope, the longing, the willingness to get the dialogue going. People were talking to each other, helping anyone that needed it, and just being proud Americans. If you think this was just about the first African-American President, it was so much more.
When was the
last time we had an inauguration, an election, a MOVEMENT - where we as
citizens are asked, and invited to get pass the partisanship and fully
participate in changing the country, voice your opinion, offer a suggestion,
take responsibility, share, help, persevere, give, learn, - CHANGE? It felt more
like a service to our country than a social event. It's the beginning of a new
day. I'll remember it always.
Day Two: MLK Day
It was also
about MLK and his legacy. The poignant importance of celebrating "a man with a
dream" and the next day celebrating the "son of that dream, -- fulfilled". We
heard the sounds of school children practicing for the inauguration Parade and
older African-Americans with a look of wonder on their faces. There were rows
and rows of television trucks and young "brothers" selling the iconography of
Martin with OBAMA. WOW!!
Fast forward to 8:p.m. and we found ourselves on the Metro going to Silversprings for dinner with friends and in the Metro tunnel there was the sight of women in their evening finery going to some of the first Balls. On the subway!!! I couldn't help but remember going with my mother on my first airplane ride for my 10th birthday, 1965. On that first day in our visit with her family and driving thru the countryside we stopped at a small roadside kitchen and the woman behind the counter took one look at my face and said, "we don't serve N----rs here"!!! This is part of my history, my lifetime, not some theoretical book!! And now I get to have someone who looks like me be the leader of our country.
On Tuesday, we heard people talking about Martin's history and why they see this new president as "transformative" for our country. Imagine, there's only ONE statue in the entire Capitol of an African-American - Martin Luther King.
Next to us on the Metro was a stunning, young white woman, approximately 20 years old and her head was almost completely shaved. The side of her head was then painted with the OBAMA, sun rising logo. We asked her if we could photograph her head and her face lit up with a thousand watt smile. She patiently let us take multiple pictures of her head. And then I had to know the story of her unique decoration. "I'm a cancer survivor," she said. And with those words all of us knew her story and the hope she see's for herself, for healthcare, for country. Martin would have been proud.
Day Three: The Inauguration
Almost two million people had a ring-side seat to America's courage to change. We waited in the bone-chilling cold, helped anyone that needed it, and were hushed into utter and total silence at the first words by the 44th. Yep, those of on the mall were calling him the 44th, the guy WE ELECTED ourselves - by a landslide. With milk money, dollar bills, teeny tiny donations, door-to-door canvassing - and against the greatest possible odds. Make no mistake, the whole world was watching ... .from Iraq to Germany to Australia they cheered loud and clear, as if their future depended on us too. In 1973, I became the first African-American Female congressional page, and I just had to see this for myself. It was one fine day.