In Jan. of 2009, I took five DePaul University journalism students in Chicago to Washington, D.C. for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.
This was huge for Chicago, Obama’s home base. The city buzzed with pride and anticipation following an overflow election night victory celebration two months earlier in Grant Park.
My DePaul students reported the 2008 election from start to finish for the school newspaper. One student shot video of that rally and, at this early point in new media, it went viral.
It was only natural — I told my dean, Jacqueline Taylor — that we cover the inauguration. She agreed. This would be a great learning experience, and as far as anyone knew, we were the largest journalism contingent from a college newspaper to do so.
Thousands of Chicagoans made the D.C. trip to see Obama sworn into office. Hotels, flights and rental vehicles were booked. We stayed in homes of DePaul alumni, who were as excited about the inauguration as the out-of-towners overrunning their city.
My students were excited to report the buzz. This was a big story for Chicago. We filled a special issue of our DePaulia newspaper with inauguration coverage. In addition, we did news blogging for a Chicago metro paper.
The inauguration was Jan. 20, a Tuesday, and one day after the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday was celebrated. We flew into Dulles International Airport the preceding Friday and spent the weekend working on gathering color.
Washington, D.C. was jammed. There was a story for us everywhere we turned.
The day before Obama’s swearing-in, my DePaul group went to the Washington, D.C. home of Lonnie Bunch, then the recently-named founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Lonnie was an old friend. As a former Chicago Tribune feature writer, I did stories with him from his days as head of the Chicago History Museum. He was to be a color commentator the next day for ABC inauguration coverage. He was a good subject, as well as source, for us.
Because the new African-American museum still was on the drawing board, and he and a tiny staff worked from small offices, Lonnie graciously steered us to his home to be interviewed in the morning. He even made breakfast for my group.
We spent an hour asking questions and got insightful, candid answers.
What was the historical significance of an African-American getting elected to the White House? What did it mean for America’s future? Personal recollections of Obama when their paths crossed in Chicago? The impact for black Americans and other minorities?
The personal meaning for him?
It was great.
After we piled into our van, I told my students that I hoped they truly understood the historical significance of what just took place.
We just interviewed the African-American president of the new African-American museum on Martin Luther King Day, one day before the U.S. inaugurates its first African-American president.
Can it get any better for journalists? Any more hopeful for the country?
Everyone agreed this was an easy story to write. We also agreed it was a very exciting, hopeful time for America.
You could not help but get caught in the excitement, especially if you were a 20-something about to graduate from college.
I’ve lost touch with those students. As we swear in Donald J. Trump as our 45th U.S. president on the U.S. Capitol steps, I would love to know their thoughts now.
I know mine. It was only eight years ago, but it seems like ancient history.