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NEW YORK—The mood was both ecstatic and electric. The air was crisp and cold and the excitement was tangible. The frigid weather didn’t stop more than a million people to walk miles and brave the crowds just to see Barack Obama’s inauguration.
For some Fil-Ams who traveled to Washington, DC to witness this event, it was all about being part of history as it unfolded.
"To be there was, in a word, indescribable," said Cirian Villavicencio, adjunct professor of political science at American River College and was a co-founder of Sacramento for Obama.
"People hugged strangers, wept, laughed, and praised God all at the same time. Despite the numb feet, the aching legs, and the bitter cold, the only emotion that registered was pride in ourselves, our country, and most especially, our new President," he said, recalling the moment, specifically the one where the audience just erupted into a rapturous applause right after Obama took his oath.
Villavicencio believes that the historic moment represents the beginning of the fulfillment of Martin Luther King’s dream; that Americans can embrace the idea that we are not to judge one another by the color of our skin but by the content of our character.
As a first-generation Filipino-American, Villavicencio believes Barack Obama’s inauguration not only broke the racial divide but also paved the way for all Americans—young and old, from different ethnicities and backgrounds —to hope that anything is possible. "If he can do it, so can I!" he added with such optimism.
He also recalled the first impression he had on the day of the inauguration itself: from the sheer mass of humanity who journeyed far and wide to see this historic moment to swarms of more people who flooded the Metro stations and the National Mall.
"It didn’t matter who you were or where you came from; at that moment, we were all brothers and sisters in the common cause of supporting our new president in such a proud hour. As soon as we saw his face, cheers and whoops of joy came from everywhere, excitement sparkling and dancing," Villavicencio said.
Politics
Mayor Ruth Uy-Asmundson of Davis, California was just as excited like the rest of the people who were there.
"From the plane to the time I landed in DC, there was definitely a thrill of excitement everywhere. People were cheerful, happy and accommodating. The streets in DC were filled with vendors selling all sorts of Obama paraphernalia, including "Obama water," bottled water with an Obama label, and nearly everyone wearing Obama pins, hats, scarves, bags," Asmundson recalled.
The mayor braved the frigid weather (she later told us that she was already wearing four layers of wool clothing and a down long coat and she still felt cold), and line upon lines of people.
"We had to go to a line to go to another line! We started at 6am am and people were already in line earlier. We passed streets with what seemed like millions of people standing in line for hours and trying to get to their assigned gates," she added.
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