My Inauguration DayIt was the Thursday before the big day when my mom and I spontaneously decided to make the pilgrimage to DC. It was convenient for us since my mom’s sister lives in Maryland and we would have a place to stay. Mom and I hadn’t done anything together like this I think EVER! So the power of the moment brought us together to make the decision to go. We were among the last, say, 300,000 people to enter the National Mall on Tuesday morning. We couldn’t manage to wake up at 3:30am and get there to stand in the cold for 5 hours. But we arrived at the Mall at around 9:00am and took our places in front of the Jumbotron right near the Washington Monument.
We cheered and booed along with the crowd as the past presidents and officers came through the front doors of the Capitol Building. There was a ton of slander blurted out towards our former Commander and Vice-Commander in Chief that I will choose not to repeat. But it was clear that everyone on that field was glad to see them go and eager to cheer for our new President.
It’s hard for me to describe the level of anticipation that was in the crowd. Every time they even showed Obama on the Jumbotron before he exited the building, everyone went totally nuts. We just could NOT WAIT to make it official. As he was sworn in my mother wept beside me. I did not weep with her. I was moved in a different way, I think because I was brought up in a world that did not separate me from the rest. I didn’t have to go through what she went through growing up in DC and Columbus, GA in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. As much as I KNOW of the history, I could not feel the pain, and the relief of that pain, the way she did that day. And in part, I am grateful to her for that. I am grateful to all who came before me to make it possible for me to stand there and be a witness to something I actually DID believe, personally, could happen in my lifetime. Perhaps it was sooner than I expected…but we really have come a long way. For the first time in my life, I am proud to be an American. We did good. -Jessie Montgomery, PSQ |
