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INAUGURATION - PICTURES AND REPORT
Published On 01-25-2009 , 11:01 AM
“Start at the beginning, “ Brandi advised, when I declared it was impossible to write something short but all ncompassing about our trip of a lifetime to the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama.
I pointed to the framed black and white picture of me at the age of 2 years with my great-great-grandmother that hangs on my bedroom wall and said to Brandi, “That’s pretty much the beginning for me and there’s not enough space to go back that far."
Grandma had been freed from slavery when she was 12 years old.
“You know what I meant,” Brandi responded with typical teenage annoyance and went on to suggest the beginning was when the actual inauguration ceremony started.
I generally experience trouble when someone else, anyone else, tells me how to write.
While Brandi and others fit into the category of meaning well, it’s not so easy to conduct the orchestra if you’re not familiar with the sounds the instruments make. Meaning, by comparison, that my would-be helpers haven’t a clue as to what all is bubbling in my head.
Our trip had many request from the public. The one to bring back plenty of pictures topped the email, telephone and personal messages in the weeks and days before Brandi and I left Pasadena. Wind-chill factor and 18-degree weather aside, we’ve got ‘em!
“Where ya’all coming’ in from?" was pretty much the question of the day as we encountered whatever portion of the millions of people in attendance that we
came into contact with.
Talk about bragging. Never before had I thought to be proud to announce I was born in Southern California, had never lived anywhere else, and that when we left town the temperature in Pasadena was somewhere around 85 degrees.
Of course we asked others where they were from but really didn’t care that much because all conversation was conducted with a fat neck scarf not just
wrapped around the neck but arranged to cover the mouth and nose with the only parts of the face unclothed being the eyes.
Brandi had some research to do for the trip in order to familiarize herself with some of the unknowns she would encounter. Wind chill factor was one something she didn’t have time to tackle. But as we all know, experience can pretty much trump book learning.
And if anyone needs the full disclosure on what wind chill is and how you survive it, Brandi’s your person to talk with.
A full report on the trip ranked right up at the top of the list with the request for pictures. I’ve got the report.
But I can only write so much so here’s the deal: On February16, President’s Day, you’re invited to a small event where Brandi will share her experience, we’ll put pictures up on the screen and I’ll give the full
report – and I do mean full. Details will be posted on the homepage and calendar here on the site. Or call 626-296-2777/ email-shirlee@talkaboutparenting.org
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This blog can be found in our columns section where you can print a copy or e-mail to someone
http://talkaboutparenting.org/pages/articles.php
 Tune-in Wednesdays Noon to 1:00 p.m. Talk Abut Parenting with Shirlee Smith LIVE Call-in at 626- 794-2116 or 794-2551. PCAC Charter Channel 56 in Pasadena. Return to our home page and click the red television for streaming. See our calendar listing for further details
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Comment
| | 1. | Shirlee,
I'm glad Brandi got to experience first hand some of the "trials and challenges" around the physical aspects of this Inauguration. It's too bad that she and so many others could not relate to what you had faced. And, it's even less fortunate that she and many others could not experience what your grandmother had experienced.
As I looked at the camera shots of that humongus crowd gathered of The Mall. tears came to my eyes, as I remembered back to being there in THAT Mall, on October 16, 1995, as part of The Million Man March. Part of the groundwork for January 20, 2008 was laid in that event. The spirits of many who are now gone, surely were with ya'll on January 20th. We know that we felt, and welcomed many, who had gone before us. Your grandmother, was probably there. I know mine was.
I remember also, August 28th. 1963 and The March on Washington, and Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. I couldn't make that. I was busy helping to organized the largest street demonstrations ever held during the Civil Rights Movement in Pasadena, and Los Angeles. We timed our marches to co-incide with the March ion Washington Part of the groundwork for January 20, 2008, was definitely laid by those marches, beck in 1963.
So, congratulations to you and Brandi, for your being there.
The struggle continues, until we succeed-and we shall
Hank
- by Hank Wilfong, 01-25-2009, 12:13 PM
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