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.
