A-12 January 22, 2009

Quotable …Following are some of the memorable moments from

Barack Obama’s inauguration Tuesday as the nation’s 44th president.

►“Lessmeasurablebutnolessprofound(thanthefinancialcrisis),isasappingofconfidenceacrossourland—anaggingfearthatAmerica’sdeclineis inevitable,and that thenextgenerationmustloweritssights.”

►“Inreaffirmingthegreatnessofournation,weun-derstandthatgreatnessisneveragiven.Itmustbeearned.”

►“Startingtoday,wemustpickourselvesup,dustourselvesoff,andbeginagaintheworkofremak-ingAmerica.”

►“Anationcannotprosperlongwhenitfavorsonlytheprosperous.”

►“America is a friend of each nation and everyman, woman, and child who seeks a future ofpeaceanddignity,andwearereadytoleadoncemore.”

►“Wewillnotapologizeforourwayoflife,norwillwewaverinitsdefense.

►“Tothosewhoclingtopowerthroughcorruptionanddeceitandthesilencingofdissent,knowthatyouareonthewrongsideofhistory;butthatwewillextendahandifyouarewillingtounclenchyourfist.”

►“Asweconsider theroad thatunfoldsbeforeus,werememberwithhumblegratitudethosebraveAmericanswho,at this veryhour, patrol far-offdesertsanddistantmountains.Theyhavesome-thingtotellus.”

►“Asmuchasgovernmentcandoandmustdo,itisultimately the faithanddeterminationof theAmericanpeopleuponwhichthisnationrelies.Itisthekindnesstotakeinastrangerwhenthele-veesbreak…Itisthefirefighter’scouragetostormastairwayfilledwithsmoke,butalsoaparent’swillingnesstonurtureachild,thatfinallydecidesourfate.”

►“Ourpatchworkheritageisastrength,notaweak-ness…Weareshapedbyeverylanguageandcul-ture,drawnfromeveryendofthisearth;andbe-causewehavetastedthebitterswillofcivilwarandsegregation,andemergedfromthatdarkchap-terstrongerandmoreunited,wecannothelpbutbelievethattheoldhatredsshallsomedaypass.”

Above, Dean Shirley Jefferson ad-dresses the audience at Vermont Law School’s Chase Center Tuesday be-fore the presidential inauguration com-menced.

Right, Alaine Dungee, left, and Helen Gratil watch the inauguration from the Chase Center balcony.

(Herald / Tim Calabro)

Above and left: Inaugural swag for sale on site in Washington.

At right: Metro tickets marked the big day.

(Top photo pro-vided by Cathy Skrzypinski. Left and right pho-tos provided by Isaac Eddy.)

A Last-Minute Trip To the Inauguration

Obama (continued from Page 1)

IsaacEddyandhiswife,LuciaGreen-Weiskel, submitted the fol-lowingfirst-handaccount.

As we drove south on the Brooklyn Queens Express-way at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday,

we braced ourselves for the worst: grid-locked traffic, security check-points backed up for miles, closed metro stations, crushing crowds, port-o-potty lines as long as the eye can see, fights for the last hot pretzel for sale, and debilitating cold.

But the worst didn’t come to pass. In fact, our experience proved that it was possible to make a spontaneous trip to Washington D.C. for the historic Inauguration of the 44th president, and stand in a crowd of almost two million to watch, live, the swearing-in and the inaugural address. Six hours after we started our journey in Brook-lyn, N.Y., we were standing under the Washington monument with a 360-degree view that included the top of the Capitol, the pillars at the front of the White House, and the Lincoln Memorial and reflecting pool.

Obama really was the people’s man this day. We learned that it was his campaign that paid for the jumbotrons or giant screens and sounds systems throughout the city and all over the Mall that made it possible for every single specta-tor in Washington to see and hear the events. Many people remarked about the quality of the sound sys-tems, which were booming clear and crisp.

Echos from the other jumbotrons could be heard in the distance cre-ating a feeling of amplitude and expanse that we had never experi-enced before. The waves of thun-derous applause rippled through the sea of people as the sound waves reached each section of the

up crowd fell silent and listened, perhaps becoming for a moment introspective, as Obama was ask-ing us to do.

Despite the thousands of cell phones-video cameras, the tower speakers, and the expensive jum-botrons, we were all listening as if this was the only chance we had to hear the Obama’s words and that we, as participants, had a duty to internalize the message.

We all yelled “Amen!” at end of Reverend Joseph Lowery’s bene-diction, and then slowly moved with the crowd to the parade route along Pennsylvania Avenue. We sipped hot cocoa in a food court by the Farrugut North metro sta-tion, listened to NPR on a portable radio to get updates about Senator Ted Kennedy’s health, and then bundled up again to face the cold.

The avenues that ran paral-lel to the parade were lined with vendors selling Obama swag from cardboard boxes. Framed paintings, rhinestone-encrusted sweatshirts and hats that proudly stated, “My president is BLACK.” Flags, photographs, key chains, t-shirts, children-sized t-shirts, all with one message: I was there. We asked one vendor how business was compared with George Bush’s inauguration eight years ago. He laughed and said, “It’s about 2,000% better.”

Our backpack was full and we stopped by Pennsylvania Avenue just as the announcer said the president’s motorcade was ap-proaching. We stood on tiptoes and caught a glimpse of his car (or what we thought was his). Then we turned and headed back to the metro. Our president was going home and so were we.

crowd. What was most distinct about

this moment and this speech was that people listened. At that mo-ment, an enthusiastic and wound-

optimism of her father who told her, “All you’ve got to do is try—and people will come along and help you.” That, she said, has proven true in her life.

“What I feel today, I wouldn’t take a million dollars for.

“I never thought I would see this day.”

WelcomeVLS Dean Jeff Shields wel-

comed the crowd about 11:15 a.m., making special mention of community members and high school students who had re-sponded to the open invitation.

A member of the Black Law School Association at the law school, Muhammad El Gawhary, was also eloquent. He started by reminding his audience that a “racial gap … remains in Amer-ica.

“But that is not our focus for today,” he said. “We leave that

for another day. Or rather, we leave that for the change that to-morrow will bring.

“Instead, today we choose to focus on the revival of America and on rebuilding bridges, be-tween each other and to a better future …

“The American Constitution has been resurrected. The Ameri-can dream, reawakened.

“Today, America is truly wor-thy of being called leader of the free world.”

Tom Schersten of Randolph sent in this photo that looks down the Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial during the inauguration ceremonies Tuesday. Eddy and Schersten were within a hundred yards of each other, though they never knew it. (Provided)

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