A Day Unlike Any Other

By Katie Lapins, CIS Senior Compliance Consultant
katielapins@cis-partners.com

On a whim, and at the last moment, I hopped on a plane and went to Washington, DC for President Obama’s inauguration. I didn’t have a ticket to the actual event but just wanted to be there. I couldn’t express the reasons for this feeling, just knew that it was an important and historical event – to me and to the country. I was happy to hang out with “the masses,” maybe sit on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and watch the events on the Jumbotrons strategically placed around the National Mall. I just wanted to go and “experience” the event.

On Tuesday morning, I took a shuttle from the hotel to the Metro, and found out that late Monday afternoon the Congressional Offices had handed out tickets that had not been picked up by attendees. Everyone else on the shuttle had tickets and they were understandably thrilled about the opportunity, especially the kids. As I talked to the people on the shuttle, a lady from one of the families turned to me and said, “Here, you can have this.” It was a ticket to the restricted area! It turns out that her friend had not shown up so she had an extra ticket for the standing area was generously giving it to me. I was almost speechless, but did manage to say “Thank You” through my tears.

I finally got to the Mall around 7:15 AM, and after a number of mishaps, bad directions, crowded entrance points and other moments requiring patience beyond what I ever thought I was capable of, I got to my ticketed viewing area around 10:45.

I still had to view the events on a Jumbotron since I was at least 100 yards away, and there was scaffolding for the cameras directly in front of the area where the speakers and President Obama stood. I did, however, get a great “big picture” sense of the event and my photos were much better than they would have been from the Lincoln Monument, a mere two miles away.

So if I couldn’t see clearly what was happening, you might wonder if it was worth the time, energy and expense. Unequivocally, the answer is, “YES!” But “Why?” is a difficult question to answer. I have struggled to articulate everything surrounding the event, including: Why was it so important for me to attend? What was it like? I am not normally at a loss for words yet these are questions that have been difficult to answer, despite my numerous attempts.

The day was many things simultaneously. Crowded, cold, logistically frustrating, full of camaraderie – these are the first descriptors that come to mind. I have heard there were an estimated 1.8 million people at the event, but not one arrest. I don’t know if this is true or not but if it is, I am not surprised. It just wasn’t a day for animosity but one about hope, change and new beginnings.

Depending on one’s age, race, culture, ideological beliefs and life experiences, President Obama represents different things to each of us. I believe his unlikely path to becoming president, combined with his message of hope and inclusiveness, resonate with many Americans and even with many citizens of other countries. During and after his campaign, he somehow made the future personal. Those of us who supported him, and maybe those who didn’t, feel like we have a stake in the future, not just of our own but of our shared future as a nation, and not just a stake, but an obligation to help shape its outcome.

While reading The New York Times, I saw the following quote about the event that struck me as the most accurate description:

“There was something very private and almost personal about being here ...” (Attributed to Tiajuana Lee, The New York Times, “From a Festive Crowd Come Chants and Tears,” Page P1, January 21, 2009)

How do 1.8 million people have a shared yet private and personal experience? And how can President Obama’s inauguration be a private or personal experience for so many people? For me, being there may have contributed to the feeling that it was about me, but I believe the reverse was true. My need to be there was actually a result of believing that the day was, at least partially, about me. President Obama continually stresses how he cannot do everything alone. Therefore, it is about me, but in a different way than we have seen in recent years in the United States. “What do I want?” is still a question being asked, but maybe more importantly, “What am I willing to do to make it happen?” is also becoming part of the dialogue. I hope this question does not fade into the background as the glow of the excitement and enthusiasm of this occasion wears off. Let us not end up back where we had previously been, waiting to see what the politicians do for us, and months or years later, wonder why things did not turn out any differently.