By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
A speech brought the world to a standstill Tuesday noon and provided a communal experience at Southwestern Michigan College.
A couple hundred people filled Mathews Conference Center to overflowing for Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th president.
Even more of a surprise than the unexpected size of the SMC turnout was its spirit, as the assemblage of students, faculty and administrators, including President Dr. David Mathews, at least five times seasoned Obama's oratory (see his entire speech on page 7) with their applause.
Obama's inclusive tone and the way he reached out to countries around the globe impressed nursing student Geoffrey Ngugi, who was beaming.
While Ngugi lives in South Bend, Ind., like Obama's father, he is originally from Kenya, Africa, another point of pride on this momentous moment in American history he never imagined until it happened.
Mathews predicted that breaking partisan gridlock would prove a more vexing challenge than either war or economic doldrums.
Aretha Franklin, wearing a hat festooned with an enormous bow, belted out "My Country 'Tis of Thee" as only Michigan's Queen of Soul could.
The SMC audience following the proceedings on CNN applauded when Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens administered the oath of office to Vice President Joseph Biden, but nothing like the ovation reserved for Obama.
There was some laughter, however, as he and Chief Justice John Roberts stepped on each other's words at the outset.
Another musical interlude followed with a classic quartet consisting of violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Gabriela Montero performing "Air and Simple Gifts" arranged by John Williams.
As noon slipped past, the crawl on the screen informed that Obama was president, even without repeating his oath.
In shot after cutaway shot, the whole country seemed transfixed by the moment. Harlem. Memphis. Los Angeles. Chicago.
People just stopped in place to watch.
There was a bit more chuckling at the startled reaction of a woman watching in Pasadena, Calif., seeing her face on national television.
There was polite applause when, early on, Obama praised the service and transition cooperation of President George W. Bush.
"For those who fought to make it free, we gather to etch another line in the solid stone of history," began Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. "The freedom of a people to choose their leaders is the root of liberty. In a world where political strife is too often settled with violence, we come here every four years to bestow the power of the presidency upon our democratically-elected leader. Those who doubt the supremacy of the ballot over the bullet can never diminish the power engendered by non-violent struggles for justice and equality like the one that made this day possible. No triumph tainted by brutality could ever match the sweet victory of this hour and what it means to those who marched and died to make it a reality. Our work is not finished, but future generations will mark this morning as the turning point for real and necessary change in our nation. They will look back and remember that this was the moment when the dream that once echoed across history from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial finally reached the walls of the White House."
In his invocation, the Rev. Rick Warren, who recited Jesus' name in Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish and English before finishing with the Lord's Prayer, said, "We rejoice not only in America's peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge-point of history with the inauguration of our first African American President of the United States.
"We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King, and a great cloud of witnesses, are shouting in heaven.
"Give to our new president, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the cabinet and every one of our freely-elected leaders.
"Help us, oh God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all.
"When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches and civility in our attitudes – even when we differ.
"Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all. May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day, all nations and all people will stand accountable before you.
"We now commit our new president, and his wife Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care."
Soon it was time for the commentators to reappear, with Wolf Blitzer attesting to the left-handed Obama's excellent penmanship as he signed one of his first documents.
A former Dowagiac resident watched the scene unfold on a Jumbotron near the World War II memorial. "We could see and hear mostly," she said in an e-mail, "but, frankly, it was about the communal Obama buzz. Having been at dozens of marches, the difference was we were HAPPY. Everyone was HAPPY. We were not complaining. We were not sarcastic. We were beaming. The joy overflowed. Old, young, black, white, Asian, Latino, Muslim, international of all stripes. Everyone was HAPPY."