The Battle of the Inauguration Gates

I was one of the fortunate ones, who from sheer luck, had scored a much sought after, ticket to the Inauguration. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to not only witness history, but be apart of it. Like so many other Americans, I would soon be disappointed to learn that my chance to be among the crowd to watch the first Black President be sworn in, would not happen the way I planned.


I carefully read the instructions printed on the back of my ticket. It stated that the gates of entry into my section would not open until 0900. Early arrival was suggested but I was delighted that I would not have to wake up at 0300 to brave the elements for an excessive amount of time. I was confident that having a ticket, although crowded, would guarantee me a spot in my designated section. I thought to myself, surely more tickets then what could be accommodated for would not be distributed. To my dismay, I arrived at the entry point only to be told that "ticket or not, I was not going to be let in." It was explained to me and quit evident that there were just too many people and law enforcement was not properly staffed to deal with the magnitude of people that gathered. I was determined not to have this moment be completely lost and promised to, at the very least, somehow make it to the parade to hopefully get a glimpse of our new President.



After desperately searching for any entry point into the Mall, I realized that the time was drawing near and that unless I found somewhere to watch the Inauguration, and quickly, I would miss the entire moment. I tucked myself into a crowded restaurant just in time to see Barack Obama take his oath. The entire restaurant was packed and silence filled the room as many of the defeated patrons of the, "Battle of the Inauguration Gates,"tuned in to hear the words of history. So many people begin to cry, and cheer as the last words of the oath poured from the lips of our modern day King. A few minutes later a hush fell over the room as we eagerly waited for our new leader to speak to his adorning followers. There were nodes and applause as we carefully listened to Obama's speech.


I fought the disappointment brewing inside me, I tried to convince myself that watching the speech in the warmth of the restaurant with others who had hoped to be in the crowd, was just as good, if not better than, standing in the cold. At the very least, I would attend the parade so that my trip would not be in vein. As soon as the speech ended I bolted from the restaurant doors heading toward Pennsylvania. I again encountered a mob of people desperately trying to get past the only open gate leading to the parade. There were at least three hundred people all pushing there way through trying to get to the promise land. I waited anxiously and was pushed, shoved, and finally after more than one hour, managed to slide on the other side of the iron gates to the waiting metal detector.


The setup was much like traveling through and airport, except there seemed to be way less screening devises and even fewer personnel to manage the crowd. Our belongings were briefly looked at to ensure safety but I wasn't sure how affective the screening method was. The entire process seemed more like a staged deterrent for those thinking of attempting a crime rather than an actual method for checking for any threatening or forbidden items. Once my "light search" was complete, I quickly headed to the parade route on Pennsylvania and searched for a vantage spot that would allow me to see the President and First lady. I climbed on top of a fountain across the street from the Archives of United States building. It was the last open spot and shortly after the crowds begin to fill in every empty inch of the fountain.


The parade was scheduled to start at 1430 and it was now 1330. We huddled together The crowd begin to chant Barack Obama's name, cheer "Yes we did," and even did the wave. The temperature was unbearable so we desperately tried anything to generate body heat. There were no visible warming stations and very little concessions existed to grab something warm to put in our bodies. After two hours passed the crowd begin to grow weary. I was bundled up from head to toe but my layers had proved to be no match for the arctic temperature. I could no longer feel my hands and toes. My face was numb to the touch and I was miserable. I battled to stay positive and could see the same desperation in the face of those next to me. We shared stories of our journey to DC and how much the moment meant to us. The girls next to me told their story of being denied through multiple gates earlier that morning. They arrived at 0400 and waited for more than an hour at one gate only to be told they would have to go to another where another three hour wait ensued to and proved to be just as frustrating and disappointing. They finally were able to make it through the gate and past security for the parade as a last ditch effort to share the moment. I was losing the battle and my body was aching longing for any type of heat. I verbalized this thought out loud and just as I almost gave up an older woman turned and said to me "our ancestors waited years for this moment, surely we can wait a few more minutes." She was right and somehow that inspired me to fight through the cold. I was determined to wait it out with the rest of the crowd. From the buildings behind the fountains, on the top floors of high reaching buildings, workers could be seen gathering on the balconies and on roof tops. All around me there were so many age groups and cultures, children, senior citizens, teenagers; Blacks, Whites, Asian, and Latino. People had even traveled from foreign land just to witness our great nation on this historic day.


We were unsure of the delay but would soon learned that Ted Kennedy had suffered a seizure during a post Inauguration luncheon. At approximately 1530, the parade began for a very exhausted and frozen crowd. The moment Barack and Michelle stepped foot out of their limo the crowd erupted into a thunderous cheer. We could not believe that they had just gotten out of the car directly in front of us and risked their lives just so we could see them. I was in complete shock and felt so many things inside. We waived to them and yelled their names as they slowly moved down Pennsylvania. Everyone around had their cameras and cell phones capturing this brief moment in history we got to be apart of. The previous Battle of the Inauguration Gates had instantly become a distant memory as a harmonious feeling of excitement moved through the crowd. I was overwhelmed with emotions and so happy that I made it.

I left the parade feeling satisfied and inspired. The earlier feeling of being cheated had disappeared and I had no regrets. I was so proud to be an American and for the first time in my life, I felt a patriotic sense of pride that left me convinced that I was an individual who would no longer be defined by the color of my skin.