January 20, 2009 was a very historic day for Americans. USA has come a very long way in the last 50 years, but there is still clearly a very long way to go It's not often that a political speech stops traffic, but the inauguration of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, felt like a new beginning for many individuals in the United States. A reported two million people gathered to watch Obama's speech in person, which is an amazingly large number of people. People tried their best to watch even if it was from primary schools to branches of Starbucks, and also time square. The Inauguration of a President is an incredibly important event, no matter which party or individual is taking the Oath. However, I think the swearing in of a black President is definitely a historic moment in our country's history, and there are many Americans who are more excited than usual because of his race. The attendance at this Inauguration looks to be a record, and I think there is an almost tangible feeling of excitement around this event. While watching this event, I kept thinking did all of these ceremonies occur for previous presidents and if so why wasn’t it such a big deal like Barack Obama's .
Ten balls took place to celebrate the inauguration which included an HBO-pre inuguration concert on Sunday, on January 18. Where many artist such as Mary J Blige, Beyonce Knowles, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand all showed appreciation to Obama. Another event that stood out for me and was a first was the Disney Channel Kids Inaugural We Are The Future concert that broadcast January 19th on The Disney Channel. I thought that was such a good idea because All the children viewing can be included in this momentous Inauguration 2009 with a program especially for them. One thing that I wonder is how Barack's children are handling everything that is going on. Is it something that they would have chosen? Or is it something that was just thrown upon them and they had no say so in whether they wanted to be in the spotlight or not? Personally I believe that it wasn't as much of a family decision because running for president doesn't seem like something debate about with your young daughters. So even thought this whole process of becoming president may seem so family orientated, think about every family members views on how their life changed drastically.
As I watched I saw that many people came out and showed support from all over, I even saw my friends marching band called the Brooklyn steppers. Many Americans and others around the world wore their emotions on their sleeves while Obama spoke words of wisdom, it was amazing to see video from Countries such as Haiti and Kenya enjoying Barack being sworn in as mush as Americans were and they werent gaining a new president. One of the weird highlights of all the inauguration was when Republican head of the Supreme Court made a possibly critical error during the Inauguration. Apparently, he messed up the oath. The oath is supposed to have been read as follows: I Barack Hussein Obama do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States. Instead here’s what Chief Justice Roberts said: Barack Hussein Obama do solemnly swear that I will execute the office of President to the United States faithfully. Although there was a mess up, it made the event more calming and relaxing to me. Listening to Barack Obama’s speech made me feel hope for America. Even though I know four years of Barack won't change the country to one where there's no violence or poverty, it seems as if he can make a slow transition into a better country. Words such as hope and faith tend to make people feel like there can be a new beginning even when they are in the worst situation. This to me is what seems emphasized as the american way of life at times...is to have hope. In negative situations, a person is always told "have hope, dont doubt that the situation wont turn for the better." This is something that we as American share, and what America can represent at times. When the inauguration was over, It still really didn't hit me that we have a new president...maybe he has to spend some time in office for me to get the full affect.
