can you believe that chief justice roberts (did i stumble!) stumbled on the 35-word oath? WTF!!?? was that a test for obama? i am so glad that he (obama) stopped when he realized that the words were coming out wrong. if there is nothing else that i have learned while taking classes here: words all have a meaning and depending on their place in a sentence the meaning could alter. so, for roberts to try to trip up obama to say “execute the office…faithfully” rather than “faithfully execute the office…” really changes the meaning of the oath – would you agree? then cutting him off before he could recite his name…anyway,

i cried so much on tuesday. of course, the inaug itself, was fabulous, but the tour director on the other hand was a hot mess! he neither guided nor toured us around anything/anywhere. he did not speak on the bus intercom but once for fear of contaminating it and the driver catching something – although the driver never touched the damn thing! he was sick and by tuesday looked terrible. but if he was not feeling well why the hell did he/was he assigned to the tour? he kept saying that the inaug is what we all here for; which was partly true and not totally the case because the students had their hearts set on seeing various things and i had never been to washington so everything was exciting to me. we never made it to georgetown and we did not have a tour of d.c.! although the ripley center was a few steps away when we got off the bus he said he did know where it was when nikki beisel asked. a huge crowd politely pushed their way into the smithsonian american history museum after the inaug (to thaw out!) and as we were entering the tour director said that was the first time he had been there since it was remodeled…WTF! so, in short the tour director as well as some of the faculty did not want any responsibility so i had to do a lot of work and asking questions – THANK GOD that audrey from down the hall in cfs was with us because she was a huge help. i should not have had to ask many of the questions that i did cause if the tour director was doing his damn job then most things would have been presented to us. there were NO fun activities planned! i could go on and on, but i will stop here.

the hotel was the best that i had ever been in, but then again where have i been. this was my second flight in my entire life…imagine that! as soon as we reached the baltimore airport for our return flight i was sick and throwing up. i think i may have caught the tour directors flu bug and i am sure i was a little anxious about the flight.

Ready to Barack!

Dr. D on the bus

Matt on da plane

We Were Here!

Amstuds on the mall

On the mall

celebrating obama

warming up in the American History Museum

Language of the Campaign

There have been so many go-to phrases that have created the foundation of language in Obama’s campaign over the last two years. “Yes We Can!,” “Change We Can Believe In,” and “HOPE” are a few phrases that have been widely and wildly used in discussions about Obama and rallies for Obama. The discussion of “belief” and “hope,” however, have very religious connotations, and in a campaign running for the highest office of an institution that prides itself on the separation of church and state, this seems a little counter-intuitive. This catch-22, of sorts, left me confused whenever I thought about it lately. After today, however, I think I have a better grasp of what this language is truly speaking of.

The use of words like “believe” and “hope” are not in reference to any feeling of saviour-ship or religious-like devotion to any one person, even Barack Obama. We do not think he is a Christ-like figure coming to save us, we simply have no other means of exclaiming our excitement and faith (another religious word) that things will change. But we do not think Obama will do it on his own. His speeches remind us of that fact every time he gets on stage in front of the people gathered to hear him. We, as a country, will bring about the change we want and need, and Obama is simply (although it is not a simply job) the leader of that movement.

Today, I felt the evidence of that belief and hope. Yes, we all love Obama and believe he is the right man to lead us. But that is all – lead us, not do the work for us. We are simply reiterating the HOPE we have in ourselves that we can return to the values of hard-work, honesty, and sacrifice that were precedented for us by the founding fathers. We BELIEVE in ourselves and HOPE for change in the future, and everyone in the crowd today – the millions of people there were – all are aware of the task ahead of us and are ready to face it. I BELIEVE in that.

After the Inauguration Ceremony

We recently returned to the hotel after witnessing history in the making. After waking up at 4am to leave at 5:15, we headed into the downtown area and climbed off the bus into the chilly winter air at 7am. We marched with thousands of other exuberant Americans towards the National Mall, and the excitement was palpable and contagious. As we neared the National Mall we were redirected to walk further from the Capital building because the Mall was filling up rapidly – by 7am more than the first half was crowded with people! As we found our place in the back of the millions of people, more shivering Americans closed us in from behind, and we all began our long wait together. By 8:00 our faces were bright pink with the cold. By 9:00 our toes had long been painfully numb. By 10:00 our backs were aching from standing still for so long. But still, no one complained or whined. We all just waited, soaking up the atmosphere, waited to see history made.

At 11:00 we watched, on the jumbo-trons, as the procession of important and famous people made their way, with tickets in hand, into the Capital building and slowly to their seats. We saw celebrities who had performed on Sunday at the Inauguration Celebration Concert, like Beyonce, Usher, Aretha Franklin, and Shakira. We saw celebrities who had supported Obama’s campaign, such as Steven Spielberg and Oprah. Then began the formal procession of politicians – the Representatives of the House, Senators, the cabinet-elect, former Speakers of the House, former Presidents and First Ladies, former Vice-Presidents and their wives. Finally, after 4.5 hours of the wintery-cold, the Vice-President-elect and his family and the President-elect and his family arrived and were announced to a fanatic crowd that spanned the entirety of the 2.5 mile National Mall.

Watching the inauguration happen live, in front of the Capitol building, was unbelievable, hard to wrap my mind around, stunning – there really are not words to describe it. The emotion that stretched through the crowd, between strangers from every corner of this nation, was awe-inspiring. Barack Obama stumbled through taking the Oath of Office. He interrupted the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by starting too early and then proceeded to forget his words despite being told what to say. The emotion on his face was enough to make me want to cry. He was overwhelmed, nervous, excited, but mostly, as he said in the beginning of his speech, humbled at the task in front of this nation as he takes the highest office of the land. He was earnest and serious, but at the same time inspiring and uplifting. His speech brought me to tears, which is saying something for me. People around me – men and women – were crying, tears rolling down their faces as they watched their leader discuss the grave situation of our country, but more importantly, our leader’s faith in our people to rise above it all, to beat any obstacles that stand in our way, and to reconnect with the rest of the world regardless of race, religion, or political strife in the past. He spoke not only to Americans but to all the world. Yet, he was still able to remind us all that Americans have faced more than we do today and have prospered. We can too.

Growing up in a generation that so often hears about “old times” and the golden ages of the 50s or 60s, or really any time before today that has been better, brighter, and more prosperous I was turned away from politics at an early age. But this event – as with Obama’s previous two years of campaigning – has reaffirmed my belief that this country can do anything we put our minds to. There were millions of people standing up today, ready to fight for change in our nation, and I got to experience that feeling of being part of something bigger and better than myself. We are ready to take on the struggles we have endured and come out stronger on the other side. And today was only the first day of that fight, and I was present when the change began.

I am proud to say that I voted for Obama, prouder to say that I stood up with everyone else today in the National Mall, and so very grateful to Northwestern for funding our trip. It was really a life-changing moment, a moment that epitomized in my mind what it is to be an American, and I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to experience it.

Happy “celebrated” birthday Reverend Dr. King! You would be so proud of Mr. Obama and even more proud at the fact that black and white came together to elect him as our nations 44th president. His white mother from Kansas and his black father from Africa created an amazingly wonderful man. You had the dream. The first step has been taken and there is much work yet to be done. Michelle, hold on tight and keep your head up, girl.

YES WE CAN!

WE LOVE YOU!

Day One

// crc

4 days til Inauguration Day!

CONGRATULATIONS to Mr. Barack Obama and his family!

Standing together as a united force, demanding that our voices be heard, while trying to hold on to the reins of our destiny – we made a harmonious change! This whole election and all the events surrounding it truly has me beaming with pride at the fact that Americans joined in concert to make the most important and life altering decision of our time. The election of Mr. Obama – to repeat what has been said so many times – is a true sign of change and hope for all Americans. I think we all agreed when Mrs. Michelle Obama said, “…hope is making a comeback. It is making a comeback. And let me tell you something — for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country…”

The faculty, staff, and students of the American Studies Program at Northwestern University are simply bursting with joy that, twenty-three days before Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, we will witness the 56^th United States presidential inauguration of the 44^th president-elect, Mr. Barak Obama. Obama’s inauguration theme will reflect the timing: “A New Birth of Freedom,” a phrase from the Gettysburg Address.

To plug the American Studies event in celebration of our 16^th president’s 200^th birthday:

The Program in American Studies at Northwestern University presents:

The Language of Lincoln: Bicentennial Reflections
Monday, February 2, 2009Chambers Hall
600 Foster Street, Evanston
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Departing from O’Hare airport on Sunday, January 18 at 10:15 am we arrive into Baltimore airport at 1:05 pm where our tour director, Paul Chapman, Professor of Humanities at Valencia Community College, will be waiting to greet us. A three- day private tour has been designed for us by the wonderful folks at Smithsonian Student Travel. We will be lodging at the Four Point Hotel in Manassas, Virginia.

THANKS to Professor Kate Baldwin, director of American Studies for allowing this to happen. This will be an experience of a lifetime which we will cherish forever!

This is way more than one word.

Blessings & Guidance

Inauguration Invasion!

The American Studies DC group is  t-minus 4 days till departure.  This means that we gotta get bloggin!  We will be posting daily updates of our trip to the 44th inauguration so that all of Northwestern and our friends and families can live vicariously through us during this historic event.  Everyone from the trip will periodically be blogging on location, so check back daily for updates!