I had promised myself that I would go to the inauguration of Barack Obama. Congressman Kennedy awarded me the opportunity to fulfill this promise with two “silver gate” tickets. I had originally planned to go with my father; however, he insisted that I go with a friend. He stressed that it was much more important that I go and witness this historic event with a friend who was around my age.
Words fail to give an accurate description of the amount of people inside the metro stations and around the entire D.C. area on inauguration day. The entire National Mall was completely filled with millions of people. Even with tickets, my friend and I were located a pretty far distance from the capitol building. However, it was still close in comparison to the millions of people without tickets who crowded up from the
Being present at the inauguration provided me with a deeper understanding of the impact that Barack Obama’s election, as the 44th President, has had on our country and world. What I realized was that Barack Obama meant so much more people than I had ever previously imagined. I grasped the fact that Obama is more than a mere political figure who defied the odds and united this country in a way never before done in our storied past. He is so much more. He is an icon, an ever-lasting symbol of change, hope, and unity. Barack Obama is the epitome of the quote heard by so many children in this great country, “You can be whatever you want to be.” Now that quote has backing. The quote now has tangible evidence that it is more than a line lectured by our parents or schoolteachers who stress to us the importance of working hard and getting a quality education.
As I passed through the hundreds of people all united for one singular cause, I could not help but to make an astounding observation. A recurring, repeating image was illustrated on the shirts of many of those united strangers who my friend and I squeezed patiently by. A number of the shirts had images of Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X; both of whom had an indescribable impact on American culture and history, particularly with African-Americans. However, there was a much greater observation that I made about these shirts. Alongside the images of these influential leaders was the image of Barack Obama. The images of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and our 44th President, Barack Obama were emblazoned on these shirts. Just to see Obama being compared to the likes of MLK or Malcolm X was awe-inspiring. This just proved the magnitude of Obama’s victory. I could only imagine what those that lived through the civil-rights movement were feeling, and the different emotions that they were going through on this day. However, I do not believe that that it is a far stretch of my imagination to believe that they all smiled at one point; and the feeling of unity and pride that I felt were reflected in their hearts, and the hearts of the millions of people who witnessed the event either from the National Mall or inside their homes.
A Big Thank You to Congressman Kennedy and my father!
--Wayne J. Montague, Jr.
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