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.