Obama Inauguration 2009
by“Wake up! America’s about to inaugurate its first African American president!” John bellowed this morning as I slowly slipped out from between the sheets and took my place on the couch. I don’t have the most exciting “where were you?” story as I’m sitting, wrapped in fleece blankets from Iowa, with my MacBook on my lap, writing blog posts and checking RSS feeds. As such, I’ll ask you…
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I’ll be updating this post throughout the morning with photos and comments.
Update: The CBC is confirming that a visit to Canada it at the top of Obama’s agenda, “U.S. president-elect Barack Obama plans to travel to Canada for his first international trip after he takes office, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Saturday. “We have been in close contact with president-elect Obama’s transition team. We can confirm that the president-elect has accepted the prime minister’s invitation to visit Canada soon after he is inaugurated,” a statement released by Stephen Harper’s office said.”
Update: Aretha Franklin just sang, followed by the swearing in of Joe Biden as Vice President. Now we have another musical performance, arranged by John Williams.
Update: “That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.” [Text as prepared for delivery]
“Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.” [Text as prepared for delivery]
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“America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.”
Photos captured from the CBC’s coverage, January 20, 2009
13 Comments — Comments Are Closed
Really? You don’t have have “watching it live online” option in the poll? 🙂
TV? What’s that. Watching live online.
I hope president Obama will visit us in Vancouver 🙂
I hope Obama visits Vancouver too! 🙂
I’m watching it live right now – History in the making. I felt like I should have stood in my living room when they asked everyone to please stand…
I think he was one of the first people to get invited to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver 😉
I listened to it on CBC Radio the whole way in on the bus. Stuck in traffic a few times, and the AM reception wasn’t too cruddy. Might have to watch it again later, hopefully in HD!
Ha- I did stand when they asked everyone to stand!
just moved to BC from Houston…i never thought today would be so emotional and powerful…this is my favorite photo so far. =)
http://gothamist.com/attachments/jen/2009_01_inhe1.jpg
I was watching some of the lead up on CNN last night. The thought that popped up in my mind was: we need this. We need a win. Historically speaking and from my First-World point of view, this has been the worst decade ever, which is so ironic given that the shining 21st century seemed like such a magical time, such an idyllic world we were heading for when I was growing up. Perhaps now it will be – eventually.
To that point, I do hope that Obama will be taken at his word in terms of the change being long term process that involves everyone and not an overnight thing that rests on him. He’s not Jesus. He’s a very smart guy with a vision for the future. There’s been a lot of rhetoric thrown around that seems to get a bit murky on those points.
And I had a second thought on seeing the coverage yesterday; that maybe our own government will follow suit, and involve us in the process of making our own country better after the same fashion. It’s the oddest thing in the world to me that at the strangest time, we’re looking to our neighbours to the south with envy.
watched it live this morning on TV and yes, during some of the speeches a got a little verklempt 😛
Welcome to the new era!
This is an incredible day. As a black man, this inspires me to believe that anything is possible in America. I see a new era on the horizon with Black sports agents, Black senators (i.e. more than 1 in the Senate), Black people winning Nobel prizes for science, and children responding “yes we can” when told that they can’t.
43 of the Presidents have had similar qualities and 44 is bringing a different approach, a collective strategy in which men and women in America will work together to make a difference in their neighbourhood, country, world.
Here we had a campaign where people that had never thought to get involved in politics decided to (e.g. the 18 year old student that went to Iowa in the bitter cold of Dec going door to door believing that she could make a difference there). We had an election where people stood for hours in lines stretching around the block to make sure their voice was heard. Here we have an Inauguration that was qualitatively different from the other 43. Where Rev. Joseph Lowery, a civil rights icon began his benediction with the words:
God of our weary tears
God of our silent tears
2 seemingly ordinary lines in a benediction, however they are from the third stanza of the Negro National Anthem “Lift every voice and sing” written in 1899. The song was a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement against the fire hoses, random violence, and police dogs in the name of equality.
From the campaign and the inauguration we know that these next 4 years will not be ordinary, but neither can America wait for top-down change. Each day involves the opportunity to make a difference, whether it’s a simple smile on the street, working on a non-profit project to help others, or sharing ideas through social media on sites such as change.org.
A new dawn is coming to America. It is up to each of us throughout the world to figure out what change means for us and how we can collectivity do our part to make a difference in the lives of others.
Don’t watch TV… live online for sure!