My inauguration day began at about 5 a.m., with two friends and I driving faster than legally wise, running faster than legally wise, making our way through the metro fare card line faster than legally wise. Once finally downtown, we joined a crowd that would ultimately number several million. The wait was long. We somehow ended up next to a man who had waited overnight by the gate. The only respite we got from the cold was the amount of body heat the crowd generated when packed together like overwhelmingly liberal sardines.
Of course, the morning held dozens of speeches, songs, and arrivals prior to Obama’s swearing-in and inaugural speech, even though the relatively uneventful nature of most of these made the event drag.
“You know what I decided?” Asked my friend.
“What?” I responded.
“I officially hate musical interludes.”
But ultimately, we had all come to see Obama. Though he had a brief gaffe at the swearing-in with John G. Roberts, the moment still held remarkable power. The speech, while not exactly a sweeping rhetorical triumph, was clear, concise, and held a vital message delivered with a sincerity I had never heard from any sitting president. The speech, which addressed economic and foreign policy ills specifically, making little mention of Obama’s historic triumph, called for Americans to join together and work hard to employ necessary measures and find creative solutions to issues the United States faces today.
The most remarkable thing about being a lucky ticket holder on inauguration day, however, wasn’t even being in the same block as Obama. It was the incredible energy stemming from the crowd during the swearing-in and inaugural speech. Eyes glazed over, smiles blossomed throughout the crowd. One 30-something black woman inches away from me cried silently through the swearing-in, her face full of unstoppable pride. Yes, we can.
Once Obama finished speaking, the crowd began to turn away, friends embracing friends, strangers hugging strangers, family safe in family’s arms. As the morning concluded and President Obama began his four years in office, the message that lingered in my mind was the possibility his speech conveyed: Americans, working together to change the dismal state of affairs in present-day America. While Obama’s words implied that he would work hard to improve the state of the nation, they also suggested that change cannot come from one man. Change must come from all America’s citizens, and we must take an active role to transform the U.S. into a more prosperous, just, and secure nation. The future is ours. Here’s hoping Americans put the ideas behind Obama’s rhetoric to constructive use, and heed the call to action.
