The Inauguration

I was fascinated by this year’s inauguration, more so than any other year. Politics aside, and I realize that is difficult because we are talking about politics and also because certain readers have what I consider a fanatical extremist allegiance to a political party (you know who you are), I have enjoyed the after effects thus far of Obama being elected. I live in Harlem so on election night as the winner became obvious the cheering and noisemaking began. There was an electric feeling all over the streets and in school the next day. I live and work among minority groups who have seen this election and inauguration as an empowering and ennobling process. I have front row seats to the change as I watch the people who have so often felt like victims feel empowered to be something else. I thought it was important for my students to watch the inauguration even though I don’t ever remember watching any inauguration in my life.
I set up the computer in my classroom and asked the school to set up the big screen in the auditorium where they live streamed it.
The kids were not interested in what he had to say and were bored with the process but I think it was important for them to see someone who looked like them getting sworn in as President. They did however enjoy enthusiastically applauding every chance they got to make noise.

Had I been invited to the Inauguration, what would I have worn you ask? Probably this...

Nowhere is Obamania as intense as it is in Harlem where many people are from Kenya and claim him as their own. He is worshipped and his face smiles on me from everywhere I walk. There are posters of him in every window and on shirts and hats and pins etc. This African dress store has taken it to an even higher level.


There are signs everywhere that say:

Rosa SAT so Martin could WALK,
Martin WALKED so Obama could RUN,
Obama RAN so our children can FLY.

So no matter what your political opinions are, I think there is a lot of good that has come out of Obama being elected. He has the ability to mobilize a a huge number of people who have, until now, felt somewhat disconnected and uninterested.

Disclaimer, this post may have been influenced by some pretty blatant NYC propaganda:


That being said, all of the Obama posters and paraphernalia reminds me of Chairman Mao in China. He is everywhere! Families in the poorer part of the country have his picture hanging up in their homes just like some of my fellow Harlemites. With great power, comes great responsibility. I pray that Obama uses it wisely.


And now for a moment from my "kids"
I was walking out one of the doors of school to go to lunch and saw one of my students standing right by the exit in a stairwell that is off limits to students when he should have been in class on the fourth floor. I looked at him with a mean teacher glare and said "what are you doing?" HE immediately grabbed his stomach and said, "Miss, I got cramps." Middle school is that fun time when they are just learning about boys and girls and the boys start figuring out that the girls get out of most anything by saying they have cramps but they haven't quite figured out that ONLY the girls can use that excuse. I was laughing so hard I couldn't get him in trouble.