RWU Law and the Obama Inauguration

RWU Law was well-represented at the Inauguration of President Barack Obama.  A number of us connected on Monday at a brunch sponsored by Providence’s terrific Mayor David Cicilline (a former member of our Adjunct Faculty).  I shared the excitement with Jack McConnell from the leading firm Motley Rice (who a member of the Electoral College).  Jack is a newly-minted member of the Roger Williams University Board of Trustees (and with his wife Sara the major donor for our Loan Forgiveness Program).

Mayor David Cicilline

I also had a chance to chat with Keeva Terry from our faculty (Keeva was selected “Teacher of the Year” by the class of 2008.)

With Prof. Keeva Terry

Later Monday I hoofed along the Capitol Grounds with Superior Court Judge Nettie Vogel (a big supporter of our Womens’ Law Society) and her daughter and picked up my ticket to the swearing-in ceremony from the office of U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, where I ran into Lyn Freedman, a partner at Nixon Peabody and a member of the School of Law Board of Directors.

Judge Nettie Vogel & Daughter, Georgi

On Tuesday, clutching my coveted purple ticket (they were selling for $500+ on ebay), I made my way toward the security checkpoints where I quickly became part of a HUGE crowd, going nowhere.  Crowd control was poor and signage nonexistent, which meant that many ticket holders (including Judge Vogel and my son Ben who had been on Obama’s campaign staff) were unable to get to their designated areas in time for the ceremony.  The Wikipedia entry on “The Purple Tunnel of Doom” describes the throng that entrapped my son and thousands of other ticketholders. 

Eventually a handful of gates opened and I was able to maneuver to my square foot of earth on the Capitol grounds, close enough to the podium to feel the electricity of the moment, but alas even with binoculars a poor sight line.

There were many thoughts rushing thru my mind: witnessing the peaceful passage of power for the 44th time; the election of an African-American President only one generation removed from the struggle to get blacks the right to vote; and, of course, reverberations from Dr. King’s 1963 speech at the other end of the Mall that presaged the historic moment.  Also, being in that place in a throng reminded me of my anti-Vietnam War marches in the same area, but with a decidedly different atmosphere.  Instead of anger directed at the government, the crowd at the Obama inauguration was jubilant and full of pride in our political system. 

Here are some reflections from Assistant Dean Lorraine Lalli, who also was in the crowd near the Capitol, and after that are a few pictures from my trip. President Obama’s speech is also available here.

Martin Luther King III being interviewed by Soledad O’Brien

On the Mall on Monday

My Viewpoint

Judge Vogel and her daughter, Georgi, attend the Eastern Ball...

...and catch some great shots!