Guess Blogger - William M. Williams, III

THE FOLLOW POST IS FROM MY SON, WILLIAM WHO ATTEND THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!! THANKS SON.

The election and inauguration of President Barack Obama was historic. The clear and honest assessment of this event is self-evident. Regardless of his platform and political ideologies, President Barack Obama transcended the Democratic political hierarchical structure and became the first African-American person to earn the title as President of the United States of America. As I reflect on this event almost a month later, I celebrate his election, and, I take time to share with you, my friends, the great celebration that took place with all people of all genders of all races of all faiths of all political ideologies on January 20, 2009, in the city of Washington D.C.

The time we took to spend with each other as mutual celebrants made the inauguration historic. As time unfolds, there will be much said and written about President Obama's administration; just as there as already been much said about his ascension into the office. I wonder what historians will say about the crowds and the stories that come from this Inauguration Day. I can imagine a short blurb in the history book that gives a final number of inaugural attendees at around 2.5 million people. But, who will tell the story about the very first stop of the red line train in Northern Maryland already having packed rail cars by 6:00 AM on the day of the event? This is true; I was there. There was barely any standing room after the first 3 stops of the train, and we still had 6 - 9 more stops to go before we exited. Who will tell the story about the hundreds of people that filed out of a single rail car to unite with the several hundred people already at Judiciary Station who were making their way up the escalator into crowds of thousands (and later millions)? I am telling this story. I am telling the story of this historic celebration that unfolded within the crowd of 2,499,999 other people.

In spite of the blistering cold, our collective nature kept us unified and warm. It was this unity that I remember the most. As brothers and sisters, we made jokes about the closeness, about the waiting, about the lack of movement for nearly 20 minutes, and we celebrated as a collective when we moved 3 feet forward. I remember the shouts of joy when this collective had its largest advance of an eight to ten step shuffle. I remember the radio interviews going on via cell phone; the kids on the shoulders of parents; the young who walked with the old, and the person who asked my cousin to remove her hat so that she could see the jumbotron. These faces and experiences with my brothers and sisters will warm my thoughts for decades to come. During this Inauguration Day we kept each other warm in spite of the blistering cold, and because of our unified celebratory attitude.

The stories are numerous. (And) though no two stories will be alike, I gather their components will have similarities: African-American president; historic inauguration; 2.5 million people, not a single criminal incident, and smiles. My favorite memory is of me running through the 3rd street tunnel yelling with excitement and energy, “Shake a hand, meet a friend, get your official Inauguration name tags”. Vendors were soliciting these tags and using this phrase to promote the unified celebration of the day. I do imagine that some historians will capture the red eyes of some, the laughter of others, the random friendships that were made, the congeniality, the patience, the cheers, the boos, the vendors, the National Guards people, the police, and the celebrities and other notables. But, most importantly, in my opinion, I imagine history will capture the smiles and the joyous attitudes that existed from and within the 2.5 million people who unified with each other to celebrate this historic occasion. It was a joyous celebration, my friends, and I thank God for the opportunity as well as my mother and father, Mr. & Mrs. Patrick & Rose _____, Congressman Lee Terry’s office, and the prayers of my family: Jamise, Jenna, Edward, Ocean, & all of my other family and friends, including the 2,499,999 I was fellowship with on January 20, 2009