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A Day Like No Other: The Inauguration   
    of President Barack Obama

By: Kiana Fleming

It seemed like a normal day as I awoke to dark skies and distant birds
chirping, yet excitement was in the air. Two pairs of socks, three shirts,
two pairs of gloves, a hat, one red coat and two scarves covered my body
as I prepared to leave Trinity College in Washington, DC at 4:45 am. I
was attending the historic inauguration of Barack Obama, the first black
president of the United States. Not only was this a significant moment
for African Americans, but an important moment for all Americans. It
wasn’t a normal day at all.

The day before, at the start of Monday
January 19th, I boarded the midnight
bus with some of my Spelman College
classmates to begin my journey. I was
eager, yet anxious, to sit through the
10-12 hour bus ride to the United States’
capitol. The significance was not lost on
me. This day was dedicated to celebrating
Martin Luther King Jr.’s diligent and
persistent efforts to gain equal rights for
African Americans, and here I was, boarding the bus to witness, in less
than 24 hours, a historic result of Dr. King’s work and dream.

On Tuesday, January 20th, I was bundled and ready to go to the
National Mall, an open-area national park in downtown Washington,
DC, where the festivities were being held. The Metro subway was packed
full of excited, patriotically attired Americans. I, too, was decked out in
paraphernalia. Buttons that read “Barack Obama,” “Michelle Obama,”
“Hope,” “Yes We Can,” and “Joy” covered my body.  My three friends
and I exited the Judicial Square subway stop and were greeted by a
massive group of people. Downtown DC was packed at this wee hour of
the morning.  We stood in line for four hours packed within a group of
thousands simply to get checked at a security site. My toes and fingers
were freezing while standing outside in twenty-something degree
weather! I continued to tell myself I was doing this for history! With
frozen limbs, we hopped the fenced (luckily not caught), walked past at
least 300 plus people ahead of us and somehow made our way through
the security check. We persevered and walked the twelve or so blocks
until we arrived at the Mall. It certainly was not a normal day.

At last, I standing in the Mall in front of
a jumbo screen; the irritation and
annoyance I had felt was gone. I looked
to my left and then to my right. I was
surrounded by the most diverse group
of people I had ever seen. An Italian man
and his family stood in front of me, an
African woman and her friend to the left,
a group of White college students behind
and an Asian man to my right. We were
all here for one reason: celebration. I
cannot explain the joy and happiness I felt at this time to be present at
the greatest historical moment of my generation. The cold left my body
as pure joy and delight took over when Barack Obama took the
presidential oath with wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha
standing by his side. The eruption of unity from the crowd is
unforgettable as we waved our flags and tears flooded our faces.

It took us 2 ½ hours to journey back to Trinity College through the
crowd of over two million people. As I sat down at 5 pm, spending more
than 12 hours on my feet, I thought to myself, this is a day to
remember.  A day I will describe to my children and their children. I
had the privilege to witness such an important day in American history
that will forever be remembered in my mind and in the minds of this
country. It was not a normal day.