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The Power of Many
In 1963, hundreds of thousands of people came together to hear Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speak on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. On those same steps on Sunday January 18th, 2009 hundreds of thousands of people came together once again to partake in the “We Are One: Opening Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial.”
The concert was a star-studded event for the ages including: Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, Usher, Shakira, James Taylor, John Legend, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Garth Brooks, Beyonce, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington and many others. It was a beautiful site that was made sweeter when—at the very beginning of the concert while the invocation was being given—thousands of people—unable to hear the man—started chanting “We can’t Hear…We can’t hear!” Nervous about missing the great performances due to a volume issue, I quickly turned to my friends expressing annoyance, but just as quickly the voice of the man reciting the invocation was booming over the National mall. It may seem trivial but I thought it was quite an accomplishment and testament to the power of the masses of what a bunch of strangers—united strangers—had done. The concert culminated in President Barack Obama speaking, reminding us—the American people—that this election was not about him—but rather it was about the feat achieved by the American people who voted him the first black president.
Monday—January 19th—was not just a regular Monday; it was not the beginning of the work week everyone detests, nor the day before the greatest day of our lives, nor a day to relax and get rest in preparation for the early wake-up to go see the President-elect finish the journey. Monday was a day to pay tribute and celebrate the life of the man who started the journey—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I attended the “Let Freedom Ring” concert at the John F. Kennedy Center hosted by the Center in conjunction with Georgetown University. The concert was centered on the “Queen of Soul” herself, the incomparable Aretha Franklin who brought the house down with “Chain of Fools,” one of her most well known songs. It was truly a sight to see, everyone in the concert hall standing on their feet, clapping their hands and singing along with the energetic performer.
The day had finally come in which Barack Obama would become the first black president of this great nation; a day many people in this country never thought they would see during their lifetime. I spent the night with friends in an office building on Capitol Hill in preparation for the early morning wake-up necessary to get down to the mall and find a good spot to watch the event. After leaving the building at 7:20am I thought we would be one of a handful of people already down near the mall, but to my utter surprise thousands of people were walking the streets of D.C. on this very cold morning of change. Everywhere you turned thousands of people lined the streets, lines were already wrapping around buildings, and streets were quickly turning into sidewalks congested with people. As I walked on a bridge overlooking the freeway, I didn’t see any cars driving on the road but rather hundreds of people walking up the freeway heading towards the mall. We finally found an area twenty feet in front of one of the jumbotrons and about 200 feet in front of the Washington Monument to watch this astounding spectacle.
After Joe Biden had finished taking his oath as Vice President, it was time for Barack Obama to fulfill the mission he started two years ago. It was no coincidence that the bible Obama placed his hand on was the exact bible President Abraham Lincoln used during his inauguration. As President Barack Obama was taking the oath so many feelings were pouring through my mind, but none as great as the realization that what so many people dreamed about had finally come to fruition because of the American people.
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