It was 1968 when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Forty-four years later, Americans elected the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama the first African-American elected to this position.
For more information about the “I Have a Dream” speech click the link below:[I Have A Dream speech (video)]
Obama’s inauguration is Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009, in front of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C., within the same radius of where King gave his momentous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.
Many WSSU students were proactively involved in the results, going out and casting their votes for Obama, and want to attend the ceremony. But according to the Associated Press, only 240,000 free tickets are being provided to congressional offices, and a crowd of more than one million is expected to be present at this event.
“We’re trying to work it out,” Miss WSSU LaToya Perry said. She also sits on the executive committee for the SGA. “We’re looking into the trip and its feasibilities. The student body should know something in about a week or so, what will be in the works.”
The spring semester classes resume on Monday, Jan. 12, and the following Monday Jan. 19, no classes will be in session in observance of King’s birthday. Students are to return to school on Inauguration Day. Some instructors have stated they will allow their pupils an excused absence in efforts to attend Obama’s installation of presidency.
“It’s a big history factor involved,” said senior Melvin Hinson, a mass communications/electronic media major. “We’re trying to go out there and shoot it. It’s big for our university, and we want to go out there and represent Winston-Salem State University.”
Those attending the Inaugural Ceremonies are required to have tickets and should contact their Members of Congress or the U.S. Senators to request tickets. Requesters are reminded there is an overwhelming demand and are encouraged to keep in mind that a request is not a guarantee that tickets will be received. They are being distributed through the members of the 111th Congress and the tickets will not be allocated until the week before the inauguration and require in-person pick-up.
Similarly to the trip that had students travel down to Jena, La. last fall to support the six students involved in racially charged incidents, the Student Government Association is in the works of preparing a trip for the inauguration of Obama.
For more information about the Jena Six click the link below:[Jena Six news coverage]
Whether a trip through the school is set up, senior Kevin Hill in the mass communication/electronic media curriculum is still planning to attend.
“This is historical and personal to me,” Hill said. “I’ve never been to one [inauguration]. I would like to go. This is our first Black president and I actually played a part in this, putting him in the White House.”
Hill did not go on the trip to Jena, La. but wanted to. Hill said he regrets missing that trip because of other obligations, but picked up on a valuable lesson.
“I planned on going [to Jena], but I couldn’t because I had to work and could not get off,” Hill said. “I did kind of learn though, don’t miss history.”