In the Crowd for Obama's Inauguration: One Reaction

Posted by Jill Tubman, Jack & Jill Politics at 4:51 PM on January 20, 2009.

"Woman on Obama Inauguration," from Cheryl Contee on Vimeo.

Above here’s a great video prayer for Barack Obama from a woman I encountered in front of the jam-packed National Museum of African Art yesterday. I think it matches the feelings of many but perhaps better expressed than most.

Today, I managed, after walking for miles, to find a spot on the National Mall among the sea of people watching the inauguration. We all struggled to peer through all the heads to see a Jumbotron. The crowd was mostly friendly, although tempers did flare several times at checkpoints and when standing. The crowds were thick, and emotions were running high. It was sometimes difficult to move, and there were times when I literally feared being trampled or simply crushed without the ability to breathe.

When arguments started between black people, other black folks would call out -- "Not Today!" "Let It Go!" "Obama!" The entire throng of people -- millions -- booed when George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were announced and erupted in happy cheers when Michelle and Barack Obama entered the scene. The crowd was boisterous during the first part of the program and thrilled by Aretha Franklin's rendition of "My Country 'Tis of Thee." Many voices joined Rick Warren’s Lord's Prayer. We all laughed when the announcer told us we could be seated -- for all but a very few, there were no seats for miles on end. We were all charmed when Obama stumbled a bit, nervously, over his oath of office. Even more striking was the silence of millions of people, rich and poor, young and old, singles and familes, multihued when Obama began his speech. Only one voice could be heard for miles and miles, ringing through the hearts of all who strained to hear the man's words. There were several places in Obama's incredibly powerful and moving speech where the crowd spontaneously cheered that also happen to be among my favorite parts:

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. [CHEERS]

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted -- for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.  Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. This is the journey we continue today. [CHEERS]

We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again the work of remaking America. [BIG CHEERS]

The Rev. Joseph Lowery opened his benediction with the first words of the Negro National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing — a bit of code to all the many black folk who braved the bitter cold:

God of our weary years,

God of our silent tears…

He expressed hopes that in the future:

“Black won’t need to get back; brown will stick around; yellow will be mellow; the red man would get ahead, man, and the white will embrace the right.”

The crowd was delighted, and Lowery’s speech brought laughter to the crowd at the end with classical African American humor with a purpose. When he closed with, "Let all who do justice and love mercy, say 'amen.' " "AMEN!" roared all of us. Again, Lowery said, “And say 'amen!' " "AMEN!!!" prayed the crowd, even louder. It was classic call-and-response.

We are a people that love to express ourselves through clothing, and I've never seen so many fur coats in my life. The glittering, rhinestone-festooned hats for Obama, millions of T-shirts and caps -- it’s black culture in action to show personal pride, wealth and celebration with not just our words and deeds but even our own bodies. It will be interesting to see how all this exposure to some of the best aspects of black culture that many Americans may never have experienced in this way before will change our nation's character and our relationships with each other.

Once it was over, I was wiping away tears, and a woman next to me whom I hadn't noticed until that moment tapped my shoulder. She was white. Without words she opened her arms to hug me, and I saw tears on her face, too. Obama is right that this moment is not about him, ultimately. All of this energy, excitement, passion and hope is about what this moment means for all of us.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "A man cannot ride you unless your back is bent." Much of Obama’s speech served to contrast his approach to that of the hated George W. Bush, who sat chagrined, pouting and smirking through the whole affair. Today, because an unlikely figure has been chosen by the American people to lead us, all Americans can stand straighter today, and that gives me a sense of courage for the future, no matter the challenges ahead.

Tagged as: obama, change, 2009, inauguration, reactions