“On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear..”

Inauguration 2009. 

Whether you were pleased or angered by the result of the 2008 Presidential Election, today is a day that will go down in history because of the progression of change it marks  (it was also an interesting day because class was cancelled due to roughly one inch of snow…).  As the photos will show, there was a broad spectrum of emotion in the audience as people gathered to listen to President Obama.  I tried to capture raw emotion, but emotion passes and changes quickly, so some of these photos aren’t entirely in focus. :\  

 

 

Our assignment was only to post three pictures, but I took way more than three so I figured I’d post a few more.  My favorite three are full size, click the smaller ones for full resolution! 

Joy

Joy. Her happiness speaks for itself in this photo.  

Hope

Hope. I really like this photo because her expression is so thoughtful.  Smiles surround her in the background, and she has a slight smirk that is reminiscent of the beginning of hope for her as an individual, and for America as a country. 

Curiosity

 

 

 

Curiosity. This girl was probably around 10 years old, but she was listening extremely intently and at this point she was asking her mother a question about something President Obama had just said.  I liked how her eyes are basically the only thing somewhat in focus, because her eyes alone say so much.

Inauguration 2009

Inauguration 2009. While some people gathered with a large audience in McKinnon hall to watch the Inauguration, others, such as this man, sat alone in quieter places to appreciate the moment by themselves.  

Cheers

Cheers. Claps and Cheers erupted when Obama took the stage. 

Strength

 Strength. “Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.”  Unfortunately this also isn’t entirely in focus – it would be a great photo if it were. But still… her face says it all. 

Mellow Yellow

 Mellow Yellow. 

“When brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead man and when white would embrace what is right.

Nurture

Nurture. I know this one is out of focus, and the composition isn’t great, but I still like it.  Maybe because as I was taking it, Obamas words echoed through the room,

“It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.  It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.”  

It was really amazing to look around the room at people of every race, gender, ethnicity, religion, age, etc., and see one common emotion.  Hope.  It was emerged within other emotions – some fearful, some triumphant, some weary, some uncertain.  But no matter how hidden, hope existed to some extent in every single person’s eyes. With change will always come hope. 

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~ by egiegerich on January 20, 2009.