WASHINGTON – The 57th inauguration of the president of the United States started for me with a 5 a.m. ride on the Metro to the Capitol.
I sat next to the Rev. Jim Solomon of New Hope Community Church in New Hope, Conn. He was on his way to speak at the President’s Prayer Breakfast. I asked him what Inauguration Day meant to him.
He said, “This day is a day of prayer; for the president and for our nation to experience God’s protection and peace, not known.”
We talked a bit about the senseless gun carnage that ripped his community apart five weeks ago. The night before he had been at an event and listened to a speech by Stephanie Hope Smith from the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Red Lake, Minn.
I arrived at the Capitol before sunrise, it was like Mecca must be. I continued to ask people to tell me what the inauguration meant to them.
Scott Applewhite, a photographer for the AP in Washington D.C., said, “You get a front row seat on history today.”
Lynn Lee, from Akron, Ohio, commented, “It’s a blessing and a memorable moment to be a part of this celebration. It’s one I’ll always cherish and remember.”
Billy Dries, of Baltimore, said, “It’s Obama’s fourth swearing in, I guess this is history.”
Marco Guzman, from Alexandria, Va., said, “This is history, and a lot of love with our fellow brothers and sisters.”
Alan Lopahan, from Washington D.C. said, “We have to cooperate. The kids are counting on it.”
I met up with Matthew Jenkinson, who is from International Falls, at the corner of C Street and Constitution Avenue next to the Capitol.
“It was an honor to be a part of another day of American history,” he said.
As the sun started glowing on the Capitol dome, a sea of humanity started filling the first 250,000 ticketed seats closest to the podium in a restricted area. All attendees were screened by security. Nearly 1 million people filled the mall, which is 300 acres and stretches two miles from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol.
At 11:30 a.m., the ceremony to administer the oath of office to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Bidden started.
When the president renewed his oath as the 44th president, he put his hand on two Bibles – one used at President Lincoln’s inauguration in 1861 as well as President Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, and the other which belonged to Martin Luther King Jr. in his early years.
Inauguration Day was also the 50th MLK Day.
As the first African American president, President Obama spoke for 18 minutes about America’s limitless possibilities, strengthening the social safety net, climate change and gay rights. He said he would push for more programs to help the middle class and confront immigration reform and overhaul gun laws.
“My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it so long as we seize it together,” he said.
Entertainment was provided by James Taylor, who sat next to former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter along with their wives. Singers Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Clarkson and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir also performed.
After the ceremony, the crowd moved from the Capitol to Pennsylvania Avenue to view the Inaugural Parade.
As I left the Capitol on the Metro after the inauguration parade, I sat next to Bennett Knox and his wife, Michelle, from Louisville, Ky.
“I’m just proud that we elected an excellent man for a second term and are proving that America is able to get ever closer to finding it’s ideals,” Bennett Knox said.
Michelle Knox summed up this special day, when she said, “We’ve come too far to stop now. In the end, we are all just people who need each other to move forward. Safe travels.”
