12 Years Ago Today, I was at Barack Obama's Inauguration
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My view of The Capitol on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009
The only inauguration I have ever been to was 12 years ago today for former president, Barack Obama. I am proud to say that I was one of the thousands of people in Washington D.C. to see the first black man be sworn in as president on January 20, 2009. I remember standing in the freezing cold on the phone with my mom and holding a picture of my great grandmother who passed away in 1995. This was so historic that I wanted them both to somehow be there to experience it with me. A phone call and photo would just have to do. It was such an amazing feeling to see a black man become president in these United States.
My great grandmother who passed away in 1995 would have loved to see a black man become president. The best I could do was bring a picture of her with me to witness the historic event. I’m sure her spirit was there.
All the days leading up to the inauguration I wanted to be there but I had no ticket, no money and no intention of going. I was looking forward to watching it on the couch like most of America. What changed was my best friend, Tam, wrote to California Representative Howard Berman’s office for tickets. I dismissed her because there was no way in a million years she was going to actually be able to to secure tickets to an event of this magnitude. I was WRONG! She was placed in a lottery of over 240,000 people and actually won the tickets! What’s even crazier is she gave the tickets back because neither of us was in a financial position to make this trip. I can’t believe we were actually going to allow not having money prevent us from such a historic moment in our lifetime. How could we miss this day when she had won tickets that you couldn’t even buy!
Tam in front of Representative Howard Berman
So, three days later we came to our senses and Tam wrote back to Representative Howard Berman. Unfortunately, they had already given her tickets away to someone else. I mean she did give them back. What did we expect, right? We are talking about the first black president here. The idea that she even won them in the first place is unbelievable. But to give them back and still think they were going to be there waiting was absurd. Unless, that is, you believe in God! You see when God is involved the impossible becomes the possible.
Even though the tickets had indeed been given away, the office said they had until 2 pm to claim them and if they didn't, he would give them back to Tam. At 2:05 pm, they called Tam and said that she could have the tickets back because no one claimed them. Look at God! This trip was meant for us to experience. How do you win two inauguration tickets in a lottery of over 240,000 people, give the tickets back, change your mind and then ask for the tickets back again. The final result being that you actually receive the tickets back! There is no explanation. That ain’t nothing but God.
Now that the inauguration tickets were re-secured we found room on our credit cards and booked our flights to Washington, D.C. The next hurdle was finding somewhere to stay. By this point every hotel was booked and there was no such thing as Airbnb back then. It would have most likely been way out of our price range anyway. Tam knew no one in Washington D.C. so, I immediately began to brainstorm. I have an aunt that lives in Washington D.C., plus a few friends, so I began my outreach for a warm place for us to stay.
My Aunt Ann
The first friend I called said that she wouldn’t been in town and had already offered her condo up to others attending the inauguration. Strike one! When I called my next friend, she invited us before I could even ask. I was shocked, excited and grateful for her kindness. I called my aunt too and we ended up splitting the time between my friend’s and aunt’s house. I was beyond excited that I was able to secure housing for this last minute trip with just a few phone calls. God was definitely at work! This trip was meant to be.
My friend Jocklynn
When we got to Washington D.C., I was about that documentation life. I took photos and videos everywhere to commemorate each step of the journey. I even brought along my Studio Q mic to facilitate random on the spot interviews with people. When we went to the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl, I had so much fun interviewing the guy who waited on Obama. I had him recount the entire exchange with him and Obama like an announcer giving a play by play in a sports game.
The guy who waited on Obama when he dined at Ben’s Chili Bowl.
I even ordered what President Obama had which was the half smoke chili dog and fries. The half smoke is a sausage that is half beef and half pork. It is prepared with chili, onions and mustard. I enjoyed it, but it couldn’t compete with the chili cheese dog I get from The Chili Parlor in my hometown. But at the moment none of that mattered I was having with the President had and so damn happy about it.
My first chili cheese hotdog from Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington D.C.
We went to Ben’s Chili Bowl twice because the first time the line was just entirely too long. And it was just too cold to wait that long for a hotdog. So our first time around we opted for Quiznos. But when we made our way back with my Aunt Ann, we had the full Chili Bowl experience.
I was so thrilled to have such a once in a lifetime experience. I tear up just thinking about all that black people have had to endure just to arrive at this one amazing moment in time. We stand on the shoulders of giants. I know the spirit of the ancestors was right there with us. You could feel the magic in the air. No one had to say a word. We all knew we were experiencing something our ancestors could never imagine but we would never forget. There were no strangers at this inauguration. I felt everybody I saw was a kind neighbor or friend. We connected with all kind of awesome people while waiting in line to get our inauguration tickets. We even had the opportunity to meet Representative Howard Berman and take a picture with him in his office at The Capital building. It was because of Howard Berman that Tam even had the opportunity to win the tickets so, it was an honor to meet him.
I even met actor Wendell Pierce standing in line to get our inauguration tickets. He was waiting to get his tickets too. On this day, I felt we were all the same, celebrity or not. We all were just happy to witness history together. It was one of the most memorable days of my life!
The only bad parts of the day were the freezing cold weather, overcrowded subways and those nasty porta pottys that we were forced to use since we were all outdoors. Until this trip, I never knew hand warmers even existed! You put them inside of your gloves and it literally warms your hands.. Genius invention for the kind of freezing cold we were in.
Also, I don’t think Washington D.C. was equipped for so many subway riders at one time. They had closed certain stops, so people had to get off and walk further. It was a mess! The people in the subway were screaming, "Let Us Out!" We were stuck in there for at least an hour! And because I worked The Olympic Games when it came to Atlanta in 1996, I had something to compare it to. I was shocked that things didn’t run as smoothly as the Olympics, especially since an inauguration happens like clockwork every four years. Plus the whole world knew this was a historic event so, I expected the transportation system to run a lot smoother than it did. But in retrospect, those were all minor distractions to the monumental history we all witnessed. I felt privileged to be there. And to think that we almost didn’t go, makes me even more grateful.
As we count down the hours to the end of the horrible Trump administration and prepare for the inauguration of Joe Biden as President of The United States and Kamala Harris as the first black woman to be sworn in as Vice President, I was compelled to reflect back on my 2009 inauguration experience.
With the history of slavery in our country you would think that the election of Barack Obama would be what incited violence. But nope! It was a completely peaceful time leading up to his inauguration. It took Donald Trump and his supporters to change all that. Now Washington D.C. has to be surrounded by thousands of armed guards just to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.
When he incited those domestic terrorists and white supremacist to storm the capitol on January 6, 2021, he encouraged the worst of America to rise up and prevail, if only for a moment. This is something that has never happened before. I feel it was a culmination of the worst presidential administration America has ever had to live through. Not to mention this is all going down in the midst of a global pandemic, which has taken the lives of over 400,000 people!
Everyone in this country has either had Coronavirus, knows someone who has had it, or known people who have died from it. I don’t know how we as a country have survived Donald Trump. I’m just glad at 12 noon on January 20, 2021, we don’t have to anymore. This nightmare is officially over.
As I look forward to a new chapter with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, I am as hopeful as I was during Barack Obama’s inauguration 12 years ago. It’s a new day, again and I’m glad I’m here to see it. Scroll down and press play to relive a video compilation of my inauguration experience on this day 12 years ago. It’s a day I will never forget. Press play and see why.
