"We should never forget that we are the heirs of those early patriots, ordinary men and women who refused to give up when it all seemed so improbable, and who somehow believed that they had the power to make the world anew. That is the spirit that we must reclaim today."
-- Barack Obama, Baltimore, Maryland. January 17, 2009
It was a full day yesterday in Baltimore, a wonderful way to kick off the festivities for this weekend. I was able to enjoy it with my two good friends Joe and Brianne. After being told by city officials and newscasts that the immediate area by the City Hall was at capacity at 3:00 pm, we decided that it was still worthwhile to at least walk up and try to get in. And we were able to. Throngs of Baltimore residents and others from around the area passed through what was one of the more efficient security gates I had ever seen. We moved quickly through into a square that seemed to still have plenty of room.
The electricity in the air was the most noticeable aspect. People were dancing, talking to each other -- complete strangers in most cases it seemed -- all with a common sense of excitement at the pending visit from the President-elect. The racial makeup reflected the city's demographics from my vantage point -- mostly black, but with sizable representation of white, Asian and a very few Latinos.
As the introductions and talks finally began, the crowd started cheering Obama. Various famous characters of the Baltimore political stage spoke: Governor Martin O'Malley and Representative Elijah Cummings. Noticeably absent from the spotlight was recently indicted-Mayor Sheila Dixon. The charges are all misdemeanors. Though she was onstage according to my friend who was a reporter in the press pool, she was not acknowledged or asked to speak.
When Obama did finally speak, the crowd listened to some poetry. A call to service, a look back and a look forward. It was over in ten minutes. People who had braved the cold weather were content as they moved out of the square. A great day indeed.
Epilogue
As we exited the square, we walked through people with the entrepeneurial spirt of America. Literally dozens of vendors were hawking buttons, shirts, gold bracelets even as we exited. Someone even had an Obama calendar which was getting some looks. Ah America.
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