The urban president
By Jonathan Gramling
It was an awesome moment and a privilege to be present when Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the
United States on that cold day in Washington, D.C. At that moment, there was no cold as we — the crowd of 1.8 million people
— watched as Barack became the first African American president in U.S. history.
It was a crowd in which people were genuinely kind to each other, accommodating some of the squeezing together that
they wouldn’t tolerate in real life without some choice words being offered up. There was a whole lot of love being offered up,
reflected in the fact there was not one arrest made that day. Not one arrest! And considering how packed the subway was right
after the swearing-in, it was truly a miraculous feat. People were filled with the moment.
The day was best reflected when in a piece arranged by John Williams, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero and
Anthony McGill— we later found out it had been recorded earlier and played due to the weather — performed together in
perfect harmony. It was a beautiful moment whose significance was not lost on the crowd.
At this moment in time, there was racial unity among the 1.8 million and race didn’t matter. At least for this moment, we
reflected what America could and should be.
It wasn’t a day filled with the lofty rhetoric of speeches that I heard Barack Obama give since 2005. There wasn’t one
moment when the crowd went wild with applause due to a historical phrase that Barack had just uttered. No, it was reflective of a
man in control of himself and the moment. While Barack was making history, he wasn’t self-absorbed by the fact. His speech
clearly outlined the challenges and perils the United States faces, both domestically and abroad.
His tenor made me believe that we would recover from the economic chaos we are now experiencing as we participate in
the “remaking of America.” But as we ascend from the chaos, we will be a different America, one that is more cooperative
internationally in dealing with issues like terrorism and global warming and one that seeks to engage all of its citizens at home.
While Barack Obama being our first African American president is an emotional milestone in itself, what gives me hope is that he
is our first truly urban president in my lifetime. In a quick review of the presidents — and I stand to be corrected here — I had to
go back to Woodrow Wilson who was elected in 1912 to find an American president who had cut his professional teeth in an
urban setting. While Barack was raised in Hawaii and Indonesia, he first worked in Chicago as a community organizer and later as
a civil rights attorney, educator and state legislator before being elected U.S. Senator and now President.
Barack Obama has witnessed the decay of our inner-cities first-hand. He has seen the impact on communities when major
employers close down and leave a community to fend for itself. He has had to forge coalitions on a very basic level to get things
done. He has worked for change his entire professional career and now is our President at a time when America truly needs
change to happen.
What gives me hope is that Barack Obama didn’t change the tenor of his message after he clinched the Democratic
nomination. Too often, Democratic candidates would tack far to the right after they won the nomination in order to get elected
in the general election to a point where you weren’t sure what they really stood for. Barack stood firm on his vision for America
and many disillusioned voters participated in the electoral process again or for the first time to get him elected. Many of these
voters were represented in the 1.8 million people who were present on the National Mall that day.
And Barack is determined to move forward with that vision. Since taking office, he has signed an executive order closing
the Guantanamo Bay prison, which has been used to hold suspected terrorists indefinitely. On January 28, he met with the Joint
Chiefs of Staff and Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ask for a plan for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
Most importantly, the economic stimulus package proposed by Barack Obama and passed by the House of Representatives
on January 28 contained $1 billion to upgrade Amtrak and $44 billion for our nation’s public schools to begin the process of
rebuilding America.
With this beginning, we can start improving our mass transit system — a system used inordinately by poor people for
interstate travel — and creating truly conducive educational environments in our inner-city schools.
These investments in our physical infrastructure will pay handsome dividends for our society for years to come.
And these dividends will benefit all of America.
I was truly blessed to be able to witness the swearing-in and many of the festivities surrounding the historic inauguration of
President Barack Obama. I felt it truly happened when as President Obama entered the Midwestern Inaugural Ball, the Navy
Band played Hail to the Chief and the service representatives saluted. Barack Obama was our Commander-in-Chief. It was now a
reality and he was in charge.
More than likely in the years to come, I will be disappointed in some of the moves and decisions that President Obama
makes. But the respect I have for the man will be everlasting. The easy part was getting elected and being inaugurated. The
greatest challenges lie ahead. I can think of no better hands to place the fate of America in than those of Barack Obama. I pray
for his good health and success.
It was an awesome moment and a privilege to be present when Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the
United States on that cold day in Washington, D.C. At that moment, there was no cold as we — the crowd of 1.8 million people
— watched as Barack became the first African American president in U.S. history.
It was a crowd in which people were genuinely kind to each other, accommodating some of the squeezing together that
they wouldn’t tolerate in real life without some choice words being offered up. There was a whole lot of love being offered up,
reflected in the fact there was not one arrest made that day. Not one arrest! And considering how packed the subway was right
after the swearing-in, it was truly a miraculous feat. People were filled with the moment.
The day was best reflected when in a piece arranged by John Williams, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero and
Anthony McGill— we later found out it had been recorded earlier and played due to the weather — performed together in
perfect harmony. It was a beautiful moment whose significance was not lost on the crowd.
At this moment in time, there was racial unity among the 1.8 million and race didn’t matter. At least for this moment, we
reflected what America could and should be.
It wasn’t a day filled with the lofty rhetoric of speeches that I heard Barack Obama give since 2005. There wasn’t one
moment when the crowd went wild with applause due to a historical phrase that Barack had just uttered. No, it was reflective of a
man in control of himself and the moment. While Barack was making history, he wasn’t self-absorbed by the fact. His speech
clearly outlined the challenges and perils the United States faces, both domestically and abroad.
His tenor made me believe that we would recover from the economic chaos we are now experiencing as we participate in
the “remaking of America.” But as we ascend from the chaos, we will be a different America, one that is more cooperative
internationally in dealing with issues like terrorism and global warming and one that seeks to engage all of its citizens at home.
While Barack Obama being our first African American president is an emotional milestone in itself, what gives me hope is that he
is our first truly urban president in my lifetime. In a quick review of the presidents — and I stand to be corrected here — I had to
go back to Woodrow Wilson who was elected in 1912 to find an American president who had cut his professional teeth in an
urban setting. While Barack was raised in Hawaii and Indonesia, he first worked in Chicago as a community organizer and later as
a civil rights attorney, educator and state legislator before being elected U.S. Senator and now President.
Barack Obama has witnessed the decay of our inner-cities first-hand. He has seen the impact on communities when major
employers close down and leave a community to fend for itself. He has had to forge coalitions on a very basic level to get things
done. He has worked for change his entire professional career and now is our President at a time when America truly needs
change to happen.
What gives me hope is that Barack Obama didn’t change the tenor of his message after he clinched the Democratic
nomination. Too often, Democratic candidates would tack far to the right after they won the nomination in order to get elected
in the general election to a point where you weren’t sure what they really stood for. Barack stood firm on his vision for America
and many disillusioned voters participated in the electoral process again or for the first time to get him elected. Many of these
voters were represented in the 1.8 million people who were present on the National Mall that day.
And Barack is determined to move forward with that vision. Since taking office, he has signed an executive order closing
the Guantanamo Bay prison, which has been used to hold suspected terrorists indefinitely. On January 28, he met with the Joint
Chiefs of Staff and Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ask for a plan for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
Most importantly, the economic stimulus package proposed by Barack Obama and passed by the House of Representatives
on January 28 contained $1 billion to upgrade Amtrak and $44 billion for our nation’s public schools to begin the process of
rebuilding America.
With this beginning, we can start improving our mass transit system — a system used inordinately by poor people for
interstate travel — and creating truly conducive educational environments in our inner-city schools.
These investments in our physical infrastructure will pay handsome dividends for our society for years to come.
And these dividends will benefit all of America.
I was truly blessed to be able to witness the swearing-in and many of the festivities surrounding the historic inauguration of
President Barack Obama. I felt it truly happened when as President Obama entered the Midwestern Inaugural Ball, the Navy
Band played Hail to the Chief and the service representatives saluted. Barack Obama was our Commander-in-Chief. It was now a
reality and he was in charge.
More than likely in the years to come, I will be disappointed in some of the moves and decisions that President Obama
makes. But the respect I have for the man will be everlasting. The easy part was getting elected and being inaugurated. The
greatest challenges lie ahead. I can think of no better hands to place the fate of America in than those of Barack Obama. I pray
for his good health and success.
President Barack Obama
