The sun was shining, the snow was falling and the wind was brisk, and many of all ages came to see the first African-American take the oath of office of President of the United States.
The sun was shining, the snow was falling and the wind was brisk, and many of all ages came to see the first African-American take the oath of office of President of the United States.
But they didn’t travel to Washington, D.C., although they interacted as though they were at the National Mall near the nation’s Capitol with millions of others. They ventured only a few miles from their Chicago homes to a South Side theater to witness history.
“We couldn’t get to Washington, D.C., so I knew I had to find a venue so we could be with others to see it all happen. We were in Grant Park on Election Day and the experience was wonderful. We couldn’t stay home to see it,” said Jean Bell, who attended the inaugural address viewing with her husband Jerome at the ICE Theater on West 87th Street.
Bell was among 1,000 people, including about 300 Chicago Public Schools students, invited to attend the free viewing.
The theater decided shortly after Election Day that it was their duty to show the inauguration for its patrons.
“There was no question of whether or not we wanted to do it. It was a must. We just had to figure out the logistics to be able to show it on the big screen. We worked out a satellite connection and partnered with CNN to show the ceremony on four of our movie screens,” said the theater’s operations supervisor Venisha White-Johnson.
As the end neared with Vice President Joe Biden’s oath to assume office, smiles from everyone ranging from toddlers to seniors brightened the dimly lit theater and tears began to stream down their faces.
They knew what was to follow a few minutes later—the swearing in of President Barack Obama.
By the way the crowd reacted to every command the ministers participating in the ceremony gave, you would think they were standing outside, just a few steps away from the President.
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