19 January 2009
Americans Heed Barack Obama’s Call to Service
Thousands arrive in nation’s capital to watch Obama’s inauguration
Washington — Across the country, Americans marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day January 19 with community service projects. Among those volunteering was President-elect Barack Obama.
Obama encouraged Americans to use the day honoring the late civil rights leader, a federal holiday on which most schools and businesses are closed, to give back to their communities. People participated in more than 11,000 service projects such as feeding the homeless or tutoring children. (See “Americans Urged to Do Volunteer Work on Martin Luther King Day.”)
“Dr. Martin Luther King's was a life lived in loving service to others. As we honor that legacy, it's not a day just to pause and reflect — it's a day to act,” Obama said in a statement.
Obama and King’s son, Martin Luther King III, volunteered at a homeless shelter for teens in Washington. “This country is great because of its people. And when all of our people are engaged and involved in making the community better … we can accomplish anything,” Obama said as he helped paint the shelter’s walls.
Earlier in the day, the president-elect visited a secondary school and talked with injured troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Michelle Obama, her daughters Sasha and Malia, and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President-elect Joe Biden, visited a stadium where people were putting together packages to send to troops overseas.
EXCITEMENT BUILDS AS INAUGURATION DAY NEARS
The inaugural events began in Philadelphia January 17, where Obama boarded a train for Washington. Following the path taken by former President Abraham Lincoln before his inauguration in 1861, Obama and Biden made several stops along the 219-kilometer (137-mile) route to speak to Americans. Thousands waited for hours in below-freezing temperatures to catch a glimpse of America’s next leaders.
At train stops, Obama thanked his supporters, saying they will help him bring change to Washington.
“You proved once more that people who love this country can change it. And as I prepare to leave for Washington, on a trip that you made possible, I know that I will not be traveling alone; I'll be taking you with me,” Obama told a crowd of about 40,000 in Baltimore.
“Yours are the voices I'll carry with me every day in the White House. Yours are the stories I'll be thinking of when we deliver the changes you elected me to make,” he said.
Other pre-inaugural activities for Obama included attending church services, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery and watching a star-studded concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial January 18.
An estimated 400,000 came to watch the concert at the memorial where King gave his famous I Have a Dream speech. Many waited through hours of security checkpoint lines, while others gathered outside the security perimeter and watched the events on large television screens.
Actors such as Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks shared stories of past presidents between musical performances by U2, Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen. But the star who likely received the loudest cheer was the president-elect who addressed a crowd chanting “Obama! Obama!”
The inauguration excitement was evident throughout the city, as tourists wearing Obama T-shirts and hats packed restaurants and bars and attended unofficial inaugural balls.
On trains and on the streets, visitors — including many from foreign countries — exchanged stories with each other and shared ideas on where to get the best view of Obama taking the oath of office.
Those who had not arrived with Obama products could easily purchase shirts, hats, key chains and signs from vendors throughout the city. Other enterprising entrepreneurs did a brisk business selling hand and foot warmers to those who had spent hours outside in the wintry weather.
Even the local residents uninterested in attending inaugural events seemed to be paying close attention to the festivities. At a bar in nearby Arlington, Virginia, where American football fans watched a playoff game, the room grew quiet as Obama appeared on the television screen.
An estimated 2 million are expected to fill Washington’s National Mall to watch Obama be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States at just before noon EST (1700 GMT) January 20. (See “Washington Prepares to Host Record-Sized Inaugural Crowd.”)
A webcast of the inauguration ceremony will be available on the Web site of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.
