‘We Are One’

Regardless of one’s political affiliations or beliefs, this is an undeniably exciting time to be in our nation’s capital. Since the Holy Cross Washington Semester Program began on Jan. 3, the anticipation of inaugural events has been building and it all hit a fever pitch early this week bursting into an all-out ceremony and celebration that shook the streets of this city and resounded across the nation.

The 15 students in the program, myself included, are fortunate enough to be at the heart of these momentous happenings. We have seen the inaugural posters and the increasing influx of excited onlookers, and felt the stirring atmosphere during our time in the city. I write now my firsthand account of the inaugural happenings from our suite, which overlooks the majestic Capitol building that hosted much of today’s action.

The inaugural events opened with Sunday’s “We Are One” concert, which most of the Holy Cross students here attended. We departed Arlington, our temporary home, at 9 a.m., and arrived at the Lincoln Memorial (after passing through a tight security checkpoint, of course) by 10:15. It was 25 degrees and more than four hours until the concert began.

But the time flew. Strangers surrounded us, yet our common purpose united the crowd and only helped build our anticipation. People of all cultures and ages were here to celebrate the memory of Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream, Lincoln’s preservation of the Union and emancipation of slaves, and Barack Obama’s swearing in as the 44th president of the United States.

After many rounds of “the wave,” singing, tossing around a beach ball until it sadly landed in the Reflecting Pool, jumping up and down for warmth and cheering on a family as it climbed a tree for a better view of the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, 2:30 finally arrived, and the steps of the Memorial illuminated.

The crowd was nothing short of ecstatic as celebrities and performers presented historical quotes and patriotic songs. Speakers included Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Martin Luther King III, Jamie Foxx, Tiger Woods and Queen Latifah, while performers included Beyonce, Usher, Bruce Springsteen, Shakira, U2, Jon Bon Jovi, Garth Brooks, John Mellencamp, James Taylor, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Stevie Wonder and Sheryl Crow.

Finally, Obama spoke, and as he looked out upon the sea of 500,000 Americans stretching from the Lincoln Memorial past the Washington Monument, he addressed the challenges facing our nation, economic and otherwise. Yet, he said, “I am more hopeful than ever” that the country will meet these challenges.

After Beyonce’s rendition of “America the Beautiful,” the crowds filtered out into the streets of D.C. Since the line to enter the nearest metro station stretched for more than a block in three different directions, we continued on to another stop, which finally got us to our residence more than two hours later. Along the way to the metro station, however, we were all stopped by the National Guard. A few moments later, a band of police motorcycles and black cars with dark tinted windows zoomed by us — it was Obama’s motorcade.

On the eve of the inauguration we were restless. In fact, some of us did not sleep at all. While the girls in the program were at a George Washington University party, Garrett Huddy ’10 and James Tuomey ’10 were exploring the city’s nightlife, and ended up at the gates of the National Mall at 3:45 a.m. The metro at this time carried more passengers than it did during normal rush hour. Many people pranced around in fancy furs, elegant dresses, coats and jewelry at pre-inaugural balls. The celebrities were out in full swing as well — while out with friends from Georgetown University, Ryan Donovan ’10 bumped into Rihanna at a bar!

The partying lasted late into the night and the dark quickly yielded to dawn. Garrett and James opted not to sleep, and waited outside the Mall until the masses were permitted inside at 7 a.m., from which point they waited another five hours for the ceremony to commence.

Waiting for the gates to open, Garrett and James said they “braved the cold, and made friends.” What struck James the most was the feeling of unity among the people waiting for noon to arrive. Two million people lined up all the way from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial — a stretch of about one and a half miles. Garrett and James were situated halfway down the Mall.

Only one student from Holy Cross was lucky enough to score a ticket. Evan Konstantinou ’10, who acquired a ticket through his internship at Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ office, stood in the silver section by the Mall side of the Reflecting Pool, relatively close to the Capitol.

“Everyone was happy and we all waited together,” he said. “A guy next to me was from California, while another was from Texas, and we all enjoyed the ceremony.”

The rest of us also enjoyed the ceremony, but from our living room couch. Though the concert was well worth it, dealing with the cold, crowds, and almost stagnant metro lines deterred us from going to the inauguration. As Franco Bacigalupo ’10 said, “Despite the jumbotrons, I wanted to see parts of the inauguration on television that you couldn’t see at the Mall.”

As we watched former President George W. Bush depart from the Capitol on television, we rushed out to our balcony to see his helicopter hover around and leave the Capitol to head west. That was pretty darn cool, and reminded me of my internship at NBC News, where things seem to perpetually jump from on-screen to off-screen in an instant.

The next hour or so following the ceremony, we observed masses outside our window walking across the bridge from D.C. to Virginia. James happened to be one of these walkers, whose journey from the Mall to Arlington took 40 minutes — less time than it took Evan to get to the metro station nearest the Mall.

Garrett, still functioning without sleep, clocked into work at CNN’s “Larry King Live” a little after 4 p.m.

The main message he would like to convey about participating in all the events? “No regrets.”

By Claire Luke ’10

Caption: Courtney Nicholson ’10, Tricia Brown ’10 and Claire Luke ’10, all students in Holy Cross' Washington Semester Program, sit in front of the Capitol building.

Related Information: • For Decades, Holy Cross’ Washington Semester Program Has Given Students Rare Opportunities