Some days stay with you longer than others.
Sept. 11, 2001 had that kind of effect on a lot of people. We now refer to it simply as 9/11. It took its place beside Dec. 7, 1941, and Nov. 22, 1963. Those who lived through them will always remember where they were and what they were doing when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and again when word was received that shots had been fired at the presidential motorcade in Dallas.
I don’t know if Jan. 20, 2009, will have that kind of staying power. But it was something to behold.
I sit in an office all day, usually with KYW-1060 playing on the radio in one ear and the TV on tuned to local news or CNN in the other.
Yesterday I was joined by a phalanx of Web sites, including our own, providing live streaming video and audio of the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States.
It is hard to minimize the seismic shift that the nation underwent yesterday. You could see it in people’s eyes, all two million of them who made their way to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to witness history.
You could see it in the eyes of students and faculty at the nation’s oldest historically black college. The room at Cheyney University was jammed to witness the first African American take the oath of office as president.
I found I could not take my eyes off the TV and the video yesterday.
There were any number of moments that will stay with me for a long time. Just the scene of all those people who gathered peacefully in the mall was mesmerizing.
There was the image of President-Elect Barack Obama, and his wife, Michelle, arm in arm with President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush as they arrived at the White House.
There were the sparkling words delivered by Obama in his inaugural address, reminding the nation of the steep challenge that lies ahead and urging everyone to take up their share of the burden.
There is a single classic photo of Obama’s 7-year-old daughter, Sasha, giving him a thumb’s up after he was sworn in.
And there was the moving scene of the Obamas getting out of their limo to walk part of the route and greet the crowds during the Inaugural Parade.
But there is one moment that will stay with me more than any of the others. It happened last night, after I got home, and of course immediately flipped on the TV to check out the latest coverage.
The new president and his bride had arrived at the first of the many balls they would grace during the evening.
After a few remarks, the Obamas, the nation’s new first couple, he looking dazzling in his tux, white shirt and white bow tie, she looking elegant in an off-the-shoulder gown.
It was a scene the nation has viewed many times. But we’ve never seen it this way. The eyes of the nation were fixed on a black couple, the new face of the nation.
As the Obamas stood on the dance floor, Beyonce delivered their song. The familiar Etta James tune rolled over the room – and the nation.
“At Last.”
Pretty much says it all, doesn’t it?
Sept. 11, 2001 had that kind of effect on a lot of people. We now refer to it simply as 9/11. It took its place beside Dec. 7, 1941, and Nov. 22, 1963. Those who lived through them will always remember where they were and what they were doing when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and again when word was received that shots had been fired at the presidential motorcade in Dallas.
I don’t know if Jan. 20, 2009, will have that kind of staying power. But it was something to behold.
I sit in an office all day, usually with KYW-1060 playing on the radio in one ear and the TV on tuned to local news or CNN in the other.
Yesterday I was joined by a phalanx of Web sites, including our own, providing live streaming video and audio of the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States.
It is hard to minimize the seismic shift that the nation underwent yesterday. You could see it in people’s eyes, all two million of them who made their way to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to witness history.
You could see it in the eyes of students and faculty at the nation’s oldest historically black college. The room at Cheyney University was jammed to witness the first African American take the oath of office as president.
I found I could not take my eyes off the TV and the video yesterday.
There were any number of moments that will stay with me for a long time. Just the scene of all those people who gathered peacefully in the mall was mesmerizing.
There was the image of President-Elect Barack Obama, and his wife, Michelle, arm in arm with President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush as they arrived at the White House.
There were the sparkling words delivered by Obama in his inaugural address, reminding the nation of the steep challenge that lies ahead and urging everyone to take up their share of the burden.
There is a single classic photo of Obama’s 7-year-old daughter, Sasha, giving him a thumb’s up after he was sworn in.
And there was the moving scene of the Obamas getting out of their limo to walk part of the route and greet the crowds during the Inaugural Parade.
But there is one moment that will stay with me more than any of the others. It happened last night, after I got home, and of course immediately flipped on the TV to check out the latest coverage.
The new president and his bride had arrived at the first of the many balls they would grace during the evening.
After a few remarks, the Obamas, the nation’s new first couple, he looking dazzling in his tux, white shirt and white bow tie, she looking elegant in an off-the-shoulder gown.
It was a scene the nation has viewed many times. But we’ve never seen it this way. The eyes of the nation were fixed on a black couple, the new face of the nation.
As the Obamas stood on the dance floor, Beyonce delivered their song. The familiar Etta James tune rolled over the room – and the nation.
“At Last.”
Pretty much says it all, doesn’t it?
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