■ Maple Leaf residents Bob and Colleen Ferguson take a moment to commemorate their attendance at Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration on Jan. 20. photo provided by Bob Ferguson
My wife, Colleen, and I had the great pleasure to witness Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th president of the United States. It was a day of many emotions, but among them, a sense of providence prevailed.
To start, three lucky breaks made our trip possible. First, we were fortunate to get tickets from Congressman Adam Smith (though my work on his first campaign when he was an unknown 25-year-old law student may have helped).
Second, a law-school buddy lives eight blocks from the Capitol, giving us the perfect place to stay.
Third, relatives volunteered to watch our 10-month-old twins, allowing us peace of mind as we traveled without them for the first time.
A HISTORICAL REMINDER
We arrived to find the mood in the city was electric. Perhaps it was simply the change from one administration to another, but I had attended Bill Clinton's first inauguration, and the atmosphere this time was different.
We spent the day before the inauguration walking through the city and looking at the monuments and museums. History and symbolism abounded.
One memorable stop was the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. We saw the American flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write:
"O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"
Seeing this 30-foot, carefully restored banner, which symbolized our nation's hope in a dark hour, was a fitting tribute to the moment.
Yet, perhaps more memorable was a simple display of a diner counter and chairs.
Taken from the Woolworth store in Greensboro, N.C., this plain setting was the site of protests in 1960 by young African Americans who were denied service at such establishments in the South.
The display served as a reminder of the history of a nation that was about to swear in its first African-American president.
A DEMOCRATIC GATHERING
On inauguration morning, it was well below freezing, and we bundled up with multiple layers to keep warm.
By the time we arrived at our "orange" section at 8 a.m., the line was already long, and thousands had been waiting since 5 in the morning.
Yet, the line was democratic. A young college student from Oregon pointed out Larry David, co-creator of "Seinfeld," not far behind us, who smiled as people snapped his photo.
We were all together - from college kids to celebrities - bearing the same freezing temperatures, navigating the same snaking lines and waiting for hours to witness the same event.
Once we reached our seat, I couldn't take my eyes off the massive crowd of 1.8 million people (for context, that's the population of King County) stretching to the Washington Monument and beyond.
The crowd was diverse in both color and language. Colleen snapped a photo for a Japanese man and his son, and another for a Spanish-speaking family.
We met people who journeyed from overseas and all corners of the country.
THE RUMBLE OF THE CROWD
After Obama took the oath, a chant began to make its way toward us from the Washington Monument, more than a mile away. I turned to Colleen and asked, "Can you hear that?"
It started like a distant rumble, as a thunderstorm still a long distance away.
Slowly, thousands more joined in, and we could make it out now -"Obama! Obama! Obama!" - then louder and louder still, gradually sweeping past us and on to the podium at the feet of the Capitol Building.
As Obama began his speech, I felt oddly distracted. It was difficult not to be overwhelmed by the sheer size of the crowd, the feeling of "I can't believe I'm actually here!" and the symbolism surrounding so many elements of this particular inauguration.
THE TURNS OF FATE, SACRIFICE
Ahead of me sat the Capitol Building, built with labor from African slaves. Atop its dome sat its crown jewel, the Statue of Freedom - a woman with a wreath in one hand and a sword in the other.
Cast by Phillip Reid, a master artisan and a slave, the Statue of Freedom stood less than 300 feet from where President Obama, the son of an African, was now giving his inauguration address.
This scene captured the nation's providence and the turns of fate and sacrifice that have brought us to this moment in our continued struggle for freedom and democracy.
Metropolitan King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson lives in Maple Leaf with his wife, Colleen, and their twins Jack and Katie. He can be contacted at bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov.
