Afternoon

Washington D.C. right now is like the host of the Super Bowl. Except there's only one team: Team Obama. People are wearing Obama hats, scarves and sweatshirts. They're lugging around huge tote bags with Obama's energetic face plastered on the side, with fireworks shooting off behind his big smile. They're selling Obama music CDs and Election Day newspapers.

We've heard the term all year, but this truly is Obamamania.

Coupled with the paraphernalia is the energy. People aren't just here for some tradition. They're here to celebrate something they seem to have been desiring for a long time. I spoke with a group of mostly-retired African Americans from Jackson, Mississippi who traveled by bus to get here. None of them thought they would live to see this day. With modest eager, they spoke with a sense of fulfillment, a sense of pride. They stood on the Capitol lawn, all wearing yellow Obama scarves, looking up at the stage.

Bro. Robert Barnes, Jr., a math professor, recalled when he realized on election night that Obama would be the next president. "My heart pounded so hard I thought it was going to pound out of my chest," he said.

If they could give Obama some advice? A pause. And then the answers flowed:

"Trust in God."
"Keep people first."
"Follow your heart."
"Don't underestimate yourself."

I don't mean to be cliche, but there's something about all this that really does seem more than just words, deeper than rhetoric. It's historic, indeed. But it's also futuristic. How Obama will do in office is up to him and the circumstances in which he finds or places himself. But for society, his election symbolizes a big step for anyone who has felt they had no other option but to self-underestimate. A better step. A step that, let's hope, will lead to new territory for race relations and opportunity in this country.

And to cross that barrier is definitely something not to be understimated.

***

I just picked up my ticket to the inauguration from Congressman Chet Edwards' office. After waiting in line for an hour, we made it into the Rayburn House Building. We had some very nice line partners: a couple from San Francisco with their preteen granddaughter. They have PhDs in education and public health, with one of them traveling around the world giving lectures and reviewing grants, and said the were most excited about Obama's ability to initiate community organizing.

Jordan and I also walked around the front part of the Capitol, talking with several people and taking pictures and shooting footage. I'm hoping to upload some video tonight. For now, here are some pics I took on my camera. Jordan has a much better camera and will probably post better photos

-Ashley

Protesting against abortion outside of Union Station




Security cars lined up by some House buildings