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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2009)
500 Observer www.portlandobserver.com Committed to Cultural Diversity Volume XXXVIV, Number 3 Wednesday • lanuaiy 21. 2009 President Obama! Historic journey begins First black president takes oath (A P)-- Stepping into history, Barack Hussein O bam a grasped the reins of pow er as Am erica's firs, black president on Tuesday, declaring the nation must choose "hope over fear, unity o f pur pose over conflict and discord" to over com e the worst econom ic crisis since the G reat Depression. In frigid tem peratures, an exuberant crow d o f more than a million packed the National Mall and parade route to cel ebrate O bam a's inauguration in a high- noon ceremony. W aving and cheering in jubilation, they stretched from the inaugural platform at the U.S. Capitol toward the Lincoln Memorial in the dis tance. W ith 11 m illion Am ericans out of work and trillions o f dollars lost in the stock market's tumble, O bam a em pha sized that his biggest challenge is to repair the tattered econom y left behind by outgoing President G eorge W . Bush. "Our time o f standing pat, o f protect ing narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed," O bam a said. "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up. dust ourselves off and begin the work of remaking America." It was a day o f high spirits — jarred by sudden concern about the health of Barack Obama, joined by his wife Michelle, takes the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts at the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to become the 44th president o f the United States. continued on page A3 An Inauguration to Remember Area residents reflect on racial progress by J ake T homas T he P ortland O bserver P ortland residents celebrated a day they thought they'd never see T uesd ay as B arack O bam a w as sw orn in as the 44 th presi d en t o f the U nited S tates, the first A frican A m erican to break on e o f the largest racial barriers o f the past. A t th e U rb a n L e a g u e o f T1Week ¡n The Review Tongue Tied Oath Both C hief Justice John Roberts and P resident B arack O bam a stum bled slightly over wording o f the presidential oath o f office on Tuesday, providing a brief, awkward moment in an otherwi se smooth inauguration cerem ony. Portland's M ulti-C ultural Senior C e n ter ju st o ff M artin L uther K ing Jr. B oulevard, seniors chat it up o v er cups o f co ffee w hile w aiting for the d ay's m eal o f m eat lo a f and gravy. O n te le v isio n , w ith a p o r tra it o f th e n ew p re sid e n t ju s t u n d e r it, N B C ’s B ria n W ill ia m s and Al R o k e r b a n te r b e tw ee n ea ch o th e r ab o u t the Black Pioneers Pave Way President Barack O bam a led off his inaugural parade by paying hom age to pioneers w ho paved the way for the nation's first black chief executive. The honored pa rade participants included Re enactors from a black Civil W ar regim ent, W orld W ar Il's surviv ing Tuskegee Airmen and Free dom Riders from the civil rights movement. ‘We’ve come a long ways, in a u g u ra l ce rem o n y . T his seem s like it co uld be any d ay at the cen ter, but it brother, ’ — Lee Lenard isn't. L ee L enard, 89. rem em b ers co m in g to P o rtlan d in 1960 from W est T ex as and finding w ork as a shoe sh in er at the G re y h o u n d bus station. Back continued 7 think h e ’s extraordinary, ’ ~ C J . Hamilton on page A2 First Lady’s Dress Dazzles Firs, Lady Michelle Obama wore a spar kling yellow sheath dress with m atch ing coat by Cuban- born A m erican de signer Isabel T oledo for the inau guration of her husband, a choice m any applauded as a cheerful m essage o f hope and a vote for the A merican fashion industry. Mayor Fights Sex Scandal A contrite M ayor Sum A dam s a p o lo g iz e d to l ’" l l l .l l l d I Ill sd.O u H r*" H' H H JL ■ B IT I i ‘ " u mg sexual le l.ilu m ship with ag e m a le but asked the city to consider it an anom aly in t w odecades of public service. See sto ry , page A3. Inaugural Draws 1 Million M ore th an 1 m illio n peo p le cram m ed onto the National Mall and along the inauguration pa rade route Tuesday to celebrate the swearing-in o f the nation's first black president in what was one o f the larges,-ever gather ings in the nation's capital. The crow d stretched nearly two miles — from the Capitol to the steps of the Lincoln M emorial.