Area residents travel to witness presidential history

By MARGIE TRAX PAGE - Staff Writer - mtrax@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

January 21, 2009 12:11 am

— WASHINGTON — The air was thick with overwhelming emotion as Zarinah Ashshaheed lifted her tear-stained eyes to witness history.
Standing miles from President Barack Obama, Ashshaheed couldn’t see the light in the 44th president’s eyes as he took his oath of office. She couldn’t see first lady Michelle Obama’s hands tremble slightly as she held President Abraham Lincoln’s Bible for her husband’s historic presidential inauguration.
Still, standing shoulder to shoulder amid more than 1 million witnesses, according to an Associated Press estimate — many of whom traveled hundreds or even thousands of miles to witness the first African-American U.S. president take his place in history, watching on massive Jumbotron screens — Ashshaheed cried.
“It just brought tears to my eyes,” she said. “Everything about the day, especially Obama’s inauguration speech, reflected humanity,” Ashshaheed said.
“It reflected our struggle as people and as Americans, and those words unified everyone who heard them. It was a glorious thing to see.”
Ashshaheed, of Dorset Township, traveled to the inauguration with the bus tour organized by the Ashtabula County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The tour, led by Betty and Adam Holman of Ashtabula, brought nearly 50 northeast Ohio residents to the nation’s capital.
Ashtabula resident Jessie Smith said the inauguration was “the experience of a lifetime.”
“I met people I will never see again,” Smith said. “I met amazing people at an amazing moment in time.”
Ashtabula resident John Gray spent his birthday shivering, as he stood in long lines at the inauguration. He said Obama’s promises to America are the greatest birthday gifts he could ever receive.
“Obama inspires people. He is a breath of fresh air. His actions and his words give you a sense of hope you are looking for,” Gray said. “I was ready for this inauguration.”
Ola Westerfield said Obama’s speech sparked a new light for the world.
“For the first time, I really felt the spirit of change people are longing for,” Westerfield said. “There was a closeness between everybody in D.C. today.”
Ashtabula resident Linda Hanna closed her eyes and settled into her bus seat on the return trip to Ashtabula.
“I am still excited,” Hanna said. “I can’t wait to get home and tell my grandchildren all about it. This was the greatest experience I have ever had.”