It is challenging to accurately describe and encapsulate what Inauguration week and Washington, DC felt like, so I am going to turn to a metaphor to help capture some of the subtleties better than a general description.
Inauguration Week was like a honeymoon.
That is to say, the campaign and evolution of since the campaign started has been like a good relationship. The primary season was an intense, fast-paced, carefree existence. We followed our instincts, our goal was singular in nature but complex in execution and it was very, very fun. Then, the relationship became ‘official’ if you will, with the nomination victory. Then, we had a serious relationship during the general; a stable, stronger foundation, more conscientious of implications of our actions and certain we wanted to reach a goal we mutually shared. Election Night is kind of a like a synthesis of engagement and marriage at once – the commitment is sealed. Since the Election, it has been planning for the future and looking forward to the celebration of our achievement with Inauguration Week being the highlight of that honeymoon period. Now, we have finished the celebration; we are taking action and making decisions for the soundness and benefit of our long-term future. We focus on the strength and bonds of our relationship and look to make the future better for the younger generation.
Our nation’s capital was flooded with people from all over the country. I can only think of one word to describe it: Obama-Fest. Vendors, street sellers, parties, music, concerts and celebrations occurred in the streets, all for one man and his movement. I don’t think we’ll see anything like it again in our lifetimes. At 7:00 pm on Sunday, January 18, there were hundreds of people on the sidewalks of U Street in Northwest DC. A street that was destroyed in 1968 in the wake of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination and a neighborhood that has only just begun to repair itself in the last decade from that historical devastation. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_Street)
On Monday, January 19, I helped at RFK Stadium in southeast DC for the National Day of Service (http://www.usaservice.org/content/home/). We assembled over 82,000 care packages in a tent that covered an entire football field. We stood on our feet non-stop for 12 hours, managing thousands of volunteers to complete our mission. Among the VIP’s who helped were Michelle Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Gov. Jennifer Granholm (MI), among others. It was one of the most impressive operations I’ve witnessed. You can’t imagine the logistics that went into coordinating this event. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/18/AR2009011802072.html)
On Tuesday, January 20, Inauguration Day itself, my cousin, Krista, and I woke up at 5:30 am to get in line at 6:45 am. We stood there fore 4 hours, moving a total of 15 feet before we got out of line and threw ourselves into the masses of people crowded around the entrance. Fortunately for us, we managed to squeeze our way in before the gates closed behind us. We were literally in the last two dozen folks to get in. Unfortunately, thousands of other ticket holders were unable to make it (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2009/01/three_days_after_the_inaugurat.html). By the time we got into our section, there was no real tangible benefit to our viewpoint over that which folks outside the gates would have had. However, the sense that “we made it” was powerful and it compelled a self-reflecting moment of achievement and finality to the months of work we put into the campaign.
Later that evening, we attended the Youth/MTV Ball (http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/obama_inauguration/series.jhtml) at the Washington Hilton on Connecticut Ave. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Hilton). Needless to say, we had a blast. Kid Rock and Kanye West performed and The President and First Lady stopped by to give a short speech and have a quick dance.
On Wednesday, January 21, after having barely recovered from the day previous activities, I attended the Obama for America staff ball at the DC Armory. The Arcade Fire and Jay-Z performed at-length and Vice President Joe Biden and President Obama spoke off-the-cuff about their appreciation for all the hard work we put in. The President also gave a specific shout-out to his field organizers, which was a great moment for all of us who had the privilege of supporting him in that capacity.
Here is a link to the full album of photographs from the week’s activities: http://picasaweb.google.com/nick.kowalski/InaugurationWeekendJan2009Public#
If you have any thoughts on this post or others, please feel free to post your comments. Storytelling is a collaborative relationship between narrator and audience.
Nick,
ReplyDeleteMy wife Terri and I also attended the Inauguration... Here is our account we wrote for our local paper.
WASHINGTON — Where were you when history was made? Were you there to hear the famous words of JFK or Dr. King? Do you remember what were you doing when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon? I knew that this time, when history was made, I wanted to be there.
When the call came from Sen. Harry Reid’s office, just one week before the event, granting my heartfelt request for tickets to the inauguration of Barack Obama, I said, “Yes," without considering the daunting obstacles of securing a room, transportation, freezing temperatures and enormous crowds. I was going. Five days later, my wife and I set off on our historic adventure.
Sunday, we picked up our “Silver Section VIP Tickets” at the Senate Building. Feeling fortunate, we headed to the Inaugural Concert, stopping by the Capitol to stake our claim on the best spot to witness the inauguration. Next, it was off to the Lincoln Memorial to listen to the likes of Bono, the Boss, Stevie Wonder and a slew of celebrities. At the Washington Memorial we found the crowds that we had been expecting. Separated from the stage by several hundred thousand, we “settled” for a jumbotron to watch the concert and decided that we had better get an early start on Tuesday to beat the crowds.
Freezing and dark, the 5 a.m. metro train was filled to capacity before we left the station, and a scheduled 30-minute trip turned into 2 hours. At 7 a.m. we were herded out of the station and guided to our “Silver Section” along with 240,000 other “VIPs." The police held us at the intersection across from the entry to the event and three hours later we had not moved. It became obvious that if we stayed in this human traffic jam, we would miss the history we came to see. Reluctantly, we abandoned our “VIP Tickets” and went in search of another jumbotron.
At first disappointed that we had traveled across the country only to see this historic event on a giant screen, we quickly realized that it was here, among the multitude of people from every state in the union and country in the world, gathered around dozens of jumbotrons and giant speakers, that we would not only witness history, but become a part of it.
Together we witnessed the people of America come together to celebrate the turning of a page. Under the leadership of our first African-American president, the people of America chose hope and determination over fear. President Obama called for all Americans to put the away our differences and focus on our similarities so that we could once again triumph over adversity. The mood of the millions in Washington’s mall was one of confidence and belief that together we can overcome the raging storms of crisis that we face as a nation. Today, people from every walk of life, race, religion and political point of view rallied to our new president’s call to do what our forefathers have done before us; pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and rebuild America.
As the sun was setting on the Capitol, I had the opportunity to speak with Senator Reid. He told me that Tuesday we saw what happens when humility is combined with direction and a belief that when we work together we can accomplish anything.
Judging from what I witnessed in Washington, we are already on our way.
Alex and Terri,
ReplyDeleteThat is an awesome story. I am so pleased to hear you guys made it all the way here! We all came along ways from that first meeting at Starbucks in Incline! Who would have thought. Your journey is an inspiration. Thanks for staying in touch.