Inauguration Fever!

By Veronica Logan

The final estimated tally was 2.1 million people, but it felt like double that everywhere I turned in Washington, D.C. from Friday, January 16 to Wednesday January 21 – Inauguration “weekend”.

They came in droves from cities, states and countries far and wide. And as accustomed as I am to accents from foreign lands (including my own), I was still awed by the tones, timbres and inflections of those who had traveled thousands of miles to bear witness to the Inauguration of our lifetimes.

About one week prior to the Inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama as America’s 44th President, I started to notice the increase in foot traffic along DC streets. The Metro seemed more crowded than usual, the restaurants seemed to have longer wait times and getting a taxi seemed to have become an exercise in futility. And this was a whole week out before the big event.

As the actual weekend drew closer, it was impossible not to notice the buzz in the air, the excitement, the energy shift that was almost palpable. Suddenly a smile and knowing head nod was the standard greeting. As if to say “Yeah…we did it, change has indeed come.” The ramped up atmosphere had an infectious quality that seemingly no one could resist.

When Friday rolled around the partying started in earnest. We took our vitamins, ate our carbs, and said goodbye to the beds that cradle our tired bodies night after night, because we knew that this was the beginning of five straight days of celebrations and little sleep. And who celebrates like West Indians? No one, that’s who!

Friday night, the U-Street corridor in DC was alive with people, music, dinner and dancing. Busboys and Poets, Bohemian Caverns, Station 9, Tabaq, Marvin’s, Almaz, everywhere you turned there was a celebration going on. And lines! Long lines that only got longer as the weekend unfolded. But no one seemed to care.

On Saturday, Sunday and Monday there were Inaugural Balls, galas, receptions and concerts at every hotel, ballroom and embassy in the DC metro area. It seemed as though, if there was a roof, there was a Ball. Athletes, Politicians, Civic Groups, Promoters, and your run-of-the-mill local “celebrities” all got caught up in the Ball-hosting fever. Tickets prices ranged from reasonable to ridiculous and crowds followed suit.

One such event was the Young Barbadian Professionals Society (YBPS) reception at the Barbadian embassy. YBPS is a group of Barbadian professionals whose mission is to garner the intellectual capital of its members to advance positive transformations in the global Barbadian and Caribbean communities. The guests, the music and the food all combined to make this one of the most enjoyable events of the weekend.

Two days before the Inauguration, HBO hosted its “We Are One” concert on the National Mall. There were people as far as the eye could see. The intent was to promote unity and to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama and I think that with performances by Beyonce, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, Bon Jovi, and more, that goal was achieved.


When the long-awaited day arrived, the day that Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States, the temperature is DC was below the freezing mark. But that was no deterrent for the estimated 1.2 million people who had traveled by land, air and sea (yes, some people sailed into the area) to bear witness. They shuffled on and off the Metro, walked miles over bridges and through tunnels and packed onto coach buses to get to the National Mall just to be a part of this historic occasion. Unfortunately, thousands who had made the long journey were stymied at the many security check points and did not get close enough to even see the Jumbo-Tron screens. Many others, like my friends Tanya and Aaron who had traveled from NY, trekked to the National Mall, were stopped short at the barriers on the wrong side of the Mall, and then had to trek back home to and watch it on TV.

Along with Tanya and Aaron, millions more around the globe watched on TV the event none of us thought we’d ever live to see. My family in Barbados was in constant contact with me via text message demanding to know what was going on as it happened. I did my best to explain to them that they probably had a better view than I did. But bad view and jarring distance from the action aside, we were there and it was magical.

As the day wound down, the President and First Lady had a whirlwind of activities to attend. First the parade from the National Mall to the White House, then a plethora of Inaugural Balls at the DC Convention Center.

The first Ball they attended, where the First Lady debuted her inaugural gown and where they had their “First Dance” was the Neighborhood Ball. This ball was the first of its kind, in that anyone who could afford a ticket could attend. Those who did, were treated to a mega-star studded evening. If you ever had a movie, TV show or song you were at this ball. It was a celeb fest. But no one was more important that the President. When he and the First Lady finally came on stage, the crowd just about lost their minds. It didn’t matter your race, creed, color or age, you just stood in awe at what you were lucky enough to be a part of. We sang along with Jay Z, Beyonce, Will.I.Am, Stevie Wonder and others and we danced until our feet hurt, or until the food ran out, which ever came first.

And finally, with the dawn of a new, more hope-filled day in America, and with the whirlwind of balls, parties, and concerts behind us, the city and the country started to regain some sense of normalcy to face the tasks at hand…moving forward to a become a better, more unified nation.

(Veronica Logan is a contributor to Island Vibes Magazine. For comments, please feel free to contact her at veronica@islandvibesmag.com.)