« 500 Smoke-Free Days | Home | The Bus from Zone 5 »
Part of This Moment
February 1st, 2009 | Charlie Gayle
(via Facebook, MySpace, Digg, email and more)
It was about 5:30am, and the crowd packed up against each other like sardines. There was literally zero room to move. It was quite intimate, too much for our tastes! Too much body odor, body contact…we couldn’t imagine enduring those conditions for another 6 hours. We retreated for the less populated sides of the Mall, where there was no view of the Capitol. We figured that if we were going to be there for 6 more hours at least, we might as well be comfortable!
MSNBC's set up. We waited to catch a glimpse of Keith, Rachel or Chris.
The vibe on the Mall was amazing. Large screens were set up for each section of the mall, and around 8am, they began showing a rebroadcast of the concert from the Lincoln Memorial two days before. This seemed to re-energize the crowd, as people were dancing along to the performances (in part to stay warm, no doubt).
By 10 or 10:30, the inauguration festivities began to start up. The U.S. Marine Corps Band started playing Sousa marches as the official invited guests made their way to the dais. It was great seeing the crowd’s reactions to various dignitaries and celebrities.
By far, the strongest reaction came when the big screens showed Colin Powell’s arrival. We got lost in a sea of flags, waving furiously. This was the second most moving moment for me. Not only did the outpouring of Powell-love stem, in part, from his endorsement of Obama. More importantly, I think it came from his strong criticism of the negative political tone. I think Americans really responded to the sentiment, that sure, Obama’s not a Muslim, but so what if he was? Muslim Americans are just as “American” as the rest of us: they serve in our armies, they die for our flag, and their kids should be able to dream about being President.
Obviously, the moment when President Obama stood to take the oath of office was the clincher for me. It was literally pandemonium. Deafening cheers, a sea of furiously waving flags, the US Marine Corps band playing in the background, it was pure patriotism. What made it all the more moving for me, as an African-American who never thought I’d see this day, was that this purely American moment, with all its pomp and circumstance, with the force of 300 years of American History behind it, was in honor of a black man. Just as my parents shed tears on election night, I could not help but shed a few of my own. After having stood out there for 8 hours, at that moment, I was not tired, I was not cold, I was not hungry. I was extremely proud to be an American.
Pages: 1 2
Related Topics: politics
 TLT on FacebookBecome a fan and keep up to date with our shenanigans! |
Charlie Gayle | 1 Comment »
Part of This Moment
(via Facebook, MySpace, Digg, email and more)
July 14th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
What an excellent piece–made me feel like I was there.
I am also proud to know the author, but I am in no way biased :)
My best to all of you at The Longest Trip. Keep up the good work!