On January 20th, history was made when President Barack Obama was sworn into office as the first ever African-American president. Around two million people attended the inauguration in addition to several Palmetto students. Senior Alexandra Smith was one of many lucky Panthers who traveled to Washington D.C. to witness the historical inauguration.
“The entire experience was pretty much amazing. I’ve never seen so many people in one place; it was unbelievable. The whole event was like a dream, everything about it was wonderful. It was definitely a life-changing moment,” Smith said.
People who attended the inauguration were required to get to The Mall, the area of Washington D.C. between the Capitol building and the Lincoln Memorial, early in the morning. The inaugural speech began several hours later. Senior Lauren Kett waited all day to experience historical speech.
“It felt like we were standing forever, we had to get to The Mall at six a.m. just to stand and wait for everything to start, so I spent pretty much the entire day on my feet. It may have felt like it took forever, but the wait was worth it,” Kett said.
The inaugural address disrupted the usual way of life in Washington. The event had the highest security in the history of inaugurations and most of the surrounding roads in Washington were closed for the day. People from all over the country and from all walks of life traveled to witness Obama’s speech.
“I’ve never seen that many people in one place. Two million people in one place at the same time is really hard to imagine, much less be a part of. Everyone I met was so friendly too. People would sit down in a circle of strangers and just talk,” Smith said.
The weather in Washington D.C. was significantly below the comfort zone for most Palmetto students.
“It was absolutely freezing. I wore five layers and had two thick fleece blankets over my legs. I was still shivering. My cousin and I hid in a clean port-a-potty for 30 minutes to get away from the wind. Regardless, braving the cold was definitely worth witnessing something so historic,” Kett said.
Most of the people who attended the inauguration couldn’t even see Obama. They saw him as a big face on a giant television or as a five-inch tall speck hundreds of feet away. Even though there was a large distance between Obama and the attendees, the effect of the speech was still the same.
“I could barely even see Obama but I don’t really care. Even through all the tough times of the trip, it was completely worth it. The inauguration was a once in a lifetime experience and I felt like I witnessed a very important part of history,” Kett said.