The Hamletts: Experiencing the Inauguration

Last Tuesday Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States, and we were fortunate enough to be there to witness, or rather experience, it. I call it an "experience" because it was not just something that I saw, but something I felt- the sounds, the joyous mood of the crowd, the cold, sunny day, my tired feet and cold hands. I know it's something I'll never forget.

For me, the inaguruation celebration really lasted for several days. The weekend before, the streets and metro stops noticeably became much more crowded as people poured into town. On Sunday afternoon there was an inaugural "We are One" concert held at the Lincoln Memorial. A lot of big name performers were there (Beyonce, U2, Stevie Wonder etc.) and people stood in line to get into the concert, which started at 2:30pm, from early in the morning. Because I knew we were going to be standing outside all day on Inauguration Day, Brad and I decided to walk down to the concert a little after it had started. We literally live about 8 blocks from the Lincoln Memorial so we wanted to go check things out. I knew there were going to be a lot of people, but I really had no idea. Walking over there really gave me my first taste of what the inauguration was going to be like. There were literally people everywhere. Blocks away from the Lincoln Memorial police and army officers were directing people as if they were driving cars. Again, I knew there was going to be a lot of security, but I was stunned to see how many police officers and soldiers (with machine guns and jeeps) there were. By the time we got close to the Lincoln Memorial the crowds were huge. Security officers weren't letting anyone else walk down the Mall towards the Lincoln Memorial so huge crowds had gathered around jumbo-trons on the Mall from the Washington Monument towards the Capitol. We managed to squeeze into the edge of the crowd next to a huge screen near the Washington Monument. We could barely see the screen. Even though it was freezing, the mood was very happy. Soon after we got there President Obama arrived at the Lincoln Memorial to deliver a quick speech. We listened, amidst the cheers of the crowd, to the first African-American president speak on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial (how far we have come from the days of Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King!). It was moving just to be there in the crowd and see how excited people were about their new president. As we left, the crowd singed and cheered with the rest of the performers.

On Monday night Brad, Kenley, and I went to the SC Inaugural Ball at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It was a great event with a lot of people, but we had the hardest time getting there. Unknown to us at the time, most of the roads around the Mall were already closed off as we attempted to get to the ball. We took a cab and literally went what seemed like just a few miles after an entire hour. The roads that were open were completely gridlocked and the intersections near the closed roads were complete chaos. Finally we jumped out of the cab and walked about 10 blocks to the museum (wearing our long dresses and uncomfortable shoes). As we walked across the Mall, MSNBC was hosting one of their shows (we think Rachel Maddow) just to the side. It was very surreal. We had a great time at the party and thankfully took the metro home. Even on the way home people were friendly (probably because they were from out of town- people here tend to avoid even eye contact) and I was struck by the very different positive atmosphere in town.

The day of the inaguration we left our apartment at about 7am, thinking that because we had tickets we wouldn't have to worry about the swarms of people that started gathering on the Mall at 2am in the morning. Needless to say we should have left earlier - much earlier - but it was an interesting part of the experience. We took a packed metro train down to a stop near the Capitol. The metro ride itself took much longer than usual just because of the number of trains running and the huge crowds at the stations. Finally, the doors opened and we got off, along with everyone else, only to find the metro station completely packed. And when I say completely I mean that every single person was crammed in together and slowly pushing towards the exit like a swarm of ants. Fortunately, we stepped out very close to an escalator. As we slowly made our way up and out, metro workers chanted "keep it moving, keep in moving" over megaphones. Every few minutes they would yell "red light!" and everyone stopped; then "green light!" when the swarm could start moving again. Despite the uncomfortable situation, people were too excited to become impatient and pushy. Most people were just marveling at the crowd and holding their phones and cameras up to take pictures. When we finally got out of the station, the crowd situation wasn't much better. After a little confusion (and just following the crowds), we finally found the gate for our ticketed section. Thinking that not many people would have tickets, we walked up to find a huge mass of people waiting for the gate to open. Unfortunately things were a little unorganized (although I don't know they could have done it better with that many people) and there was really no line - only a mass- to go through the gate into the security tent. We stood in "line" for an hour and a half - at least- I'm not kidding. About every five minutes we took a few baby steps, and we were quickly enveloped by people, crowds of people, on all sides. Although this sounds like it would be awful, it really wasn't. We made friends with the people around us and chanted "Obama" and "yes we can!" along with the crowd. We had sing-alongs and even did the wave. The amazing thing about the crowd (apart from the fact that everyone was very congenial) was its diversity. There were people of all skin colors from every part of the country (and even world) it seemed. And all these people were packed in together like sardines and somehow we all got along- it was amazing.

Finally we got through the security checkpoint and made our way over to the Mall. We picked out a nice spot to stand where we could see a jumbo-tron to the right of the Capitol. Unfortunately we couldn't see the front of the Capitol from where we were standing because of the way the seated area bleachers were built. So I can't say that I personally saw President Obama in person (but I think I did see the first lady walk back to her seat once). When we got there, a choir was singing in the background that truly sounded heavenly and the marine band started to play. As dignitaries made their way into the seated area on the stage in front of the Capitol we watched (along with the rest of America) on the giant screens. People cheered, remained silent (or even booed) based on whose face appeared on the big screen. It was sort of funny because I'm sure the people had no idea if they were being cheered or booed- or that they were even on the screen. Overall though, the mood of the crowd was extremely joyous. This is the part that struck me the most and the part that I feel like I can't convey enough. It was unbelieveable to be in a crowd of nearly 2 million that was so happy! The people around us - black, white, whatever- were extremely nice and we all shared this time of celebration. In that regard, I think President Obama is already a success. He has brought people together and inspires them to be better people and citizens - through instilling an atmosphere of mutual respect and service to others. As we stood there and watched the big screen I was in awe of the size of the crowd, which stretched all the way down the Mall. And I couldn't believe that I was a part of it.

When President Obama first appeared on the screen the crowds went wild. But when the ceremony started everyone quieted down. I'm sure most of you watched the inauguration, so I won't go into that. Even though we couldn't actually see it happening on the stage, it was just incredible to be there- to be a part of the crowd, to be a part of the communal celebration. Looking around at the many people there were so many smiles and tears of joy, tears of relief. Being there for the prayers and the music was really incredible too. And to be there for the historic inaugural address was incredibly moving. For me, it was the most emotional part of the day- not only because he is a great speaker and gave a great address but because of what his election means for our nation and our future. I am so proud of America for electing someone who is not only our first African-American president but who is also extremely intelligent and well suited for the job. And all of this proudness seemed to bubble up in all of us at the inauguration. As the ceremony ended some people started to leave, probably trying to beat the crowds. Others of us lingered, as if to more completely savor the moment, the historic event we felt we had just been a part of. There wasn't a mad dash to leave but by the time we got out there was a line (or mass of people) several blocks long just to get into the metro station. So although we were tired, we decided to take a detour and went to Brad's office for lunch. When we walked back outside, over an hour later, the lines hadn't diminished at all. So, we started making our way towards our apartment thinking that we would jump on the metro at the next station. Well, that never happened because every station we walked by had the same long lines that didn't seem to be moving at all. We ended up walking about 25-30 blocks to get back to our apartment, but I didn't mind. On the way we saw parts of the parade route crowded with people and other streets filled with people going to or from the Capitol. Along the way, people were selling every Barack Obama memorabilia you could imagine. Finally, we made it back to our cozy little apartment and enjoyed watching the rest of the festivities on tv. It was an exhausting, joyous day and I'll never forget what it was like to be there...