"My Story": Stories by Members of Our Community

By Dolores R.

It all started the morning of the election when I went to go cast my ballot. In my lifetime of voting, I have never felt so nervous and so excited to go vote. I made sure my ballot went all the way inside the box until it was secured. I left proud with my head held high back on my way to work.

I couldn't stand it! I wanted my work day just to be over, so that I could go home and watch the election. All day long, my sister and I e-mailed each other, in hopes of any news. I wore my Obama/Biden buttons proudly to work, and at the restaurant where I went to eat lunch. I made a few phone calls to make sure everyone I knew went to vote. I talked to a few of my co-workers, and convinced a couple of undecided ones to vote for Obama, and my work for the day was done. I went home, turned on the tv, while others in our community attended local parties or had them at home. My sister and I texted each other back and forth as we began to see early on that Mr. Obama was aready close to winning. On my last text to her at 8:02 pm, as my family and I sat around the tv, we stood there in shock, and amazement to see that Mr. Obama was now the 44th President! We jumped and screamed and hugged each other. We were so excited and proud to see that America finally united and made the right decision to elect this man!

By Marty and Karen Wiskoff

We were on vacation in Egypt. When people learned we were Americans, many greeted us with shouts of "Obama! Obama! Obama!" On Inauguration Day, we finished a whirlwind morning visit to the fabulous Abu Simbel temples built by Ramses the Great, including flights there and back to Aswan, where our hotel was located. Then all the members of our tour group prevailed upon our Egyptian guide to finish the day's sightseeing early in the afternoon so that we could return to the hotel and watch Obama's inauguration on television in our rooms. We ordered beers and peanuts from the hotel bar, cosied up on one of our twin beds, and watched CNN for four hours. Our guide, whose country has been ruled by the same man for more than 27 years, said to us afterward: "You are so lucky to live in such a country, such a democracy."

By Rebecca Ray and Darrell Turner

I experienced the Inauguration first as the concert at the Lincoln Memorial, a half mile back, with 400,000 attending.  After attending church on 16th Ave. N.W. where 2 choirs and a USO entertainer celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, we waved to the then President Elect and his family, heading down the street in a motorcade, having attended the Baptist church up the street.
 
We took a transfer on the Metro on Tuesday morning, Jan.20th to come up from Capitol South subway right at the corner of the Cannon Office Bldng where Congressman Sam Farr's staff held a reception.  We arrived to watch the swearing in on T.V.  just as President Elect Barack Obama arrived on the platform.  It was a very hospitible gathering of aproximately 50 people, with plenty of food!  After the ceremony Congressman Farr arrived to meet constituents and guests from Chicago and Georgia and take pictures.
 
Then my escort and I trudged miles around the parade route to get back on the subway with 937.000 other attendees.  It was too cold to consider returning after dark to attend an Inaugural Ball, with temperatures dipping to 18 degrees.  It was so astounding that folks came before dawn that day and waited approx. 5 hrs. to bear witness to the Inauguration of the first African American President.  As an interracial couple, it meant to me the possibility of more acceptance.  I experienced politeness and civility the whole day, even on the subway! 
 

By Maureen F Balaam

The day began with a new feeling of calm and then there was that estatic layer of excitement!
I rushed down to the Monterey Center for Change to view the event with some friends. People
crowded into the room. There were cameras surrounding us. It was really fun when school children
arrived and the whole room of adults squished our chairs together to make room for them.

I watched enjoying every moment of the festivities. Everyone in Washington looked extra beautiful
and beaming, even on that cold, cold day. The music was wonderful and touched my heart. Aretha
wore that amazing hat. My friend next to me was not so sure about the hat, yet it was pure Aretha
and having her "there" was perfect. People, there were so many people on the screen in front of us
and some had been there for hours in the east coast winter and I felt grateful to be warm.

What I noticed over and over again with the people in the room and the people on the screen that
they were genuinely happy. I could recognize that because inside I felt it myself. The "genuinely happy"
was something a bit unfamiliar in regards to the political scene in our country for a long long time.
Watching our outgoing president, President Bush, no longer in the control seat and seemingly
uncomfortable, was pleasurable. Though I would have loved to interview him at that moment, the moment
was not his and I was grateful for that.

Tears in everyone's eyes and mine, I noticed a feeling inside of myself of expectentcy that I was

By Shirleyann Costigan

Yes, my friends, I was there.

Have you seen the newspaper shots of the massive crowds at the Inauguration? Look again. Focus on the area between the Washington Monument and the WWII Memorial. If you look really, really, REALLY closely, you still can't see me. Nor can you see my dear friend and hostess Jackie M. looking like a hip Eskimo in the shades and fur hood, nor the darling pixie with pink hair and her green-haired mom, nor the kind woman who gave me two hand-warmers to stuff in my shoes so my frozen toes wouldn't break off, nor the sleeping toddler in his daddy's arms, nor the protesters disclaiming Obama for Jesus Christ, nor the lady blocking my view of the Jumbotron. You can't see any of it, but I was really there, got the T-shirt and a head cold, and had a most wonderful time - even though I didn't see very much either. But I'm sure if I had, if I had seen HIM in the flesh, he would have sent you all his very best - but now he's too busy.

By Sabine Atwell

I was at home watching everything on television. I came to this country as the young German-born bride of an Afro-American soldier, Fred Atwell, whom I married in Germany in 1963 where he was stationed. Our marriage would not have been legal in many states at that time, something that was not clear to me nor did it matter much. I came to this country in 1965 and through my husband became very committed to Democratic politics. My husband went to college after his service and became very active in Nevada politics of the early 70ies. He was the youngest and only black delegate from Washoe County, Nevada to the convention in Miami where Mc Govern lost, disastrously. He always believed that such a day would come and was committed to peaceful change. He died of leukemia in 1973 at the age of 32.

I have a son, Brian F. Atwell, who is a successful businessman now, married with two wonderful children. Just as Barack, I raised Brian a very international climate with many trips to Europe and other parts of the world. He was also lucky that my second husband raised him like a son and they are very close to this day. I credit Fred for getting me interested in politics and understanding its significance it can make in peoples' lives.

My entire family including the grandchildren were thrilled and moved that day. We will never forget it.

By Joe Byrd

My wife Linda and I were on a Gentrain tour of Egypt during the inauguration. We took inauguration day off and spent it at the Winter Palace in Luxor watching the inauguration on CNN International. It was a thrilling event for us and for all of the Egyptians we met who kept chanting “Obama, Obama” as soon as they determined we were Americans. My favorite comment was from an Egyptian we met in our hotel who said, “Bye, bye, Bush.”

During the day I was text messaging with my daughter who had traveled from San Francisco to video tape the inauguration crowd for a documentary she had planed. During the controversial invocation by Reverend Rick, the Islamic call to prayer began in the mosques around Cairo. It was a very touching moment made even more poignant when we heard the powerful words of inclusion delivered in the benediction. We and all of the local people we were proud once again to have an American president of true moral stature who could speak in words of more than one syllable.

The whole world was uplifted by that cold day in January, but the journey has just begun and we all must work together to fulfill the dreams that we all shared on that day.

By Cecile

I had a great Inauguration Day. To begin with, it started way before January 20, of course. I worked to get out the vote and met with local Democrats to walk and talk. Then I signed up to visit a household the first (and only) Inauguration party out in the rural area where I live. I didn't know who was hosting but was sure it would be interesting. Everyone was so excited.

When I got to the house in the small community of Aromas, on the Monterey County side of the street, I was pleased to see a lovely cottage with roses growing over an arching gateway. Very welcoming on that special morning. People were seated all around, and two screens were available to watch: one was the TV with CNN's broadcast. Closed captioning was on so we could read that while watching the other screen—a large projection screen where we viewed and listened to an Internet broadcast from the hostess's computer.

This high-tech system was indicative of the people who live in North Monterey County, where many of us make our livings via the concentration of computer companies forty minutes up the highway in Silicon Valley.

A great spread of food made our morning breakfast unique, including local persimmons, a beautiful fruit salad, various teas, carrot cake, lemonade, and more. The choices indicated a concern about people's health, and this proved to be true: the hostess is a homeopathic doctor and instructor.

By Mary Ann Pohl

Before the Obamas and Bidens and most other Americans were awake on the 20th - with the possible exception of those camped out on The Mall who were either too cold or too excited to sleep - I was at home in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia watching the 'Made in Chicago' documentary. Then I set up to record the live inauguration coverage which started at 2:30am local time. That was the 21st here, and I stayed home (skipped work) to watch the parade, then the recorded inauguration coverage, then the highlights and comments news show at 12:30pm local time. I went to the office for the afternoon, then came home and watched the Australian national news, replayed the recorded inauguration coverage, and drank most of a bottle of vintage 2000 (pre-Bush) Champagne!

I've never before wished I could be present in Washington for an inauguration. But then I've never before felt that I helped to elect a peoples' President, either. For the first time in the six years I've lived outside the US I'm proud of all Americans for choosing this amazing leader. We've earned the respect and admiration of the world. Let's not lose it ever again.

Mary Ann Pohl is a member of Democrats Abroad, "the organization that keeps us 'expatriots' informed and involved in the political life of our homeland. It's great to be able to gather in cities around the world to console ourselves about losses and celebrate victories. We had 80 people at a pub in central Brisbane to watch the election returns on a big plasma TV."

By Diane and Rob Creasey

It was wonderful to celebrate the inauguration with nearly 450 people at Embassy Suites at a dinner, dance, and program organized by Mrs. Helen Rucker and Ms. Ruthie Watts with the help of many other civil right activists. It was a night we will all remember with lots of joy, pride, and wonder!

By Alison Passell

I teach second grade. I tuned in NPR that morning for the students and played some preliminary speeches, the violin/clarinet/cello Simple Gifts/John Williams piece (I didn't know it wasn't live but that's OK), the swearing in (I'm still very irritated with the Chief Justice), and the wonderfully soaring speech given by our great President Barack Obama. As usual, it brought tears to my eyes. Every time he speaks, I am stirred as I've never been stirred by a public leader.

The students who were ready for it certainly learned about the meaning of the inaugural address. It would have made a much greater impression if we had gathered in the multi-purpose room to watch it on a big screen of some sort, though in our current ethos of austerity, perhaps it was best this way. They learned how a competent, brilliant leader sounds when delivering the speech of a lifetime.