Imagine standing in front of the Nations Capitol in Washington D.C. For thousands of feet, all that is visible is waving American flags, crowded streets and police directing traffic. People of all races and ages gathered as Americans for the same reason; to hear President Obama give his second inaugural speech.
Fifty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. brought people together in the same manner to listen to his famous “I have a Dream” speech. What better way to celebrate his national holiday than to come together with our President in speaking to the American people about the same thing—a better nation.
Obama spoke with emphasis and confidence; touching on topics such as health, education, fairness, equality and working together. His speech directly reached out to each type of individual amongst the crowd considering themselves an American. “America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities this world without boundaries demands,” said Obama. His speech significantly reached out to the people and gave a very positive message to the crowd, encouraging and preparing our people for another four years.
Former University of West Georgia student Markese Taylor discussed how his first inauguration experience was. He took the trip from Georgia to Washington D.C with his mother and sister. Taylor and his family were invited to the inauguration ball as well. The ball took place Sunday at 8 PM at the Isaac Knolls Community Center in Washington D.C. “I was honored to be invited to experience something so great, it was very formal and there was even a live band for entertainment,” said Taylor.
Taylor explained how secure the streets of D.C were during the weekend. “When we first got to D.C we got a chance to see Obama ride past as we were taking pictures of the White House. There was a tank and many police cars surrounding his vehicle as he rolled down the window and waved to the people.” Taylor also said there were a lot of marked “Secret Agency” riding through the crowds during the parades, and particularly during the inaugural speech. Of course security is always tight the President, but because there were so many people in Washington for the inauguration, there had to be extra security, not only for the President, but for the citizens amongst the crowds as well.
Taylor also discussed how he and his family had to arrive at the Capitol at 6:30 AM to get a closer position in front of the balcony on which President Obama wasn’t scheduled to speak until 10 AM. “It was very crowded, the police were everywhere and there were snipers on top of the buildings facing the Capitol for the President’s safety.”
The speech President Obama gave this day was one special to our nation because of the holiday, the location and the event. So many Americans were able to experience a part of history, while celebrating a part of it as well.
