Brigham Young University

Washington Seminar Newsletter

Witnesses to History

It was not yet 2 a.m. when Andrew Dougherty camped out at the nation’s Capitol in anticipation for the inauguration.

“We wore everything we had,” said Dougherty, a junior from Irvine, Calif. “We brought blankets and used the curb as a pillow. A man who used to be homeless even came up and gave us some pointers on how to survive, telling us that what we really needed was cardboard and newspapers.”

Dougherty was one of the students participating in Washington Seminar who had the opportunity to experience the inauguration of President Barack Obama firsthand.

 

BYU interns Andrew Dougherty, left, and Dan Allen camped out all night to be in the front of their seating section at the presidential inauguration.

By Natalie Crofts

Article from January 29, 2009 issue of The Daily Universe

It is estimated that 1.8 million people attended the inauguration, breaking the previous attendance record from when Lyndon Johnson took the oath in 1965.

“It was so incredible because all of the people had traveled to D.C. from all across the states

Being in the crowd at the inauguration provided the students with a unique perspective.

“It was awe-inspiring,” said Mandi Critchfield, a senior from Oakley, Idaho. “You didn’t notice any of the mess-ups. It was just really cool to stand back and look around at all of the people chanting ‘Obama.’”

and were just so excited for this change,” said Lauren Hagee, a senior from McKinney, Texas.

“It was a piece of history that’s bigger than me and the group that was there.”

Hagee had tickets in the seated section and ended up sitting between two strangers, a mayor from North Dakota and an 87-year-old black woman named Odessa. Though they didn’t know each other before, they bonded while trying to stay warm and enjoying the experience.

“Odessa has lived through discrimination and thought that she would never see this,” Hagee said. “When Barack Obama took the oath of office, she did a little dance and chanted ‘Obama’ with the enthusiasm and energy of a woman half her age.”

Just getting to the inauguration proved to be an adventure.

“There were already hundreds of thousands of people in the street at five in the morning,” Critchfield said. “It was madness.”

In addition to attending the inauguration, the students were able to attend the free inauguration concert at the Lincoln Memorial. The concert focused largely on American history and leaders such as Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr.

The concert featured popular artists U2, Beyonce and Stevie Wonder, who performed their own songs as well as special ones for the occasion. Readings were done by actors including Steve Carell and Denzel Washington.

“Seeing the celebrities was fun, but when Senator Biden and Obama spoke it was crazy to see the then President-elect in such an informal setting,” Critchfield said. “It was just fun and laid back.”

The streets in Washington were filled with vendors selling Obama merchandise. The students said they saw Obama pajamas, soap, action figures and comic books among other things.

“It’s insane, but I loved it,” Critchfield said. “Everywhere you looked there was something related to the presidency. It was great to have that feeling of unity and support.”

Dougherty said the memories he has of the election will stick with him throughout his life.

“I’m sure that someday there will be a page in my kid’s history book about this election, and it will be cool to tell them that I was there,” Dougherty said.

The other students agree.

“I have always loved history and wished that I could go back in time, but this is a moment in history that is mine,” Hagee said.