What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility – a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
– President Barack Obama, Inaugural Address, January 20, 2009

Notwithstanding the wide spectrum of political views within the RWU Law community, there was an unmistakable buzz of excitement on January 20, as students, faculty and staff packed the Moot Courtroom and the Bistro, or paused under the main lobby’s flatscreen, to watch as Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America.

The RWU Law family was also well represented in Washington itself, and Amicus spoke to some of these individuals about their experience and how it has changed them since their return to Rhode Island. Kim Ahern ’09, one of the state’s delegates pledged to Obama at the Democratic National Convention, said the President’s call to responsibility resonated deeply as she listened from her vantage point on the Capitol lawn.

“I thought of the two years of campaign work leading up to that moment, as I literally watched a new generation of American leadership begin,” she said. “I thought of what this ‘new era of responsibility’ could mean in my own life and career. It means putting citizenship before partisanship, it means getting involved in your community, wherever that may be, and it means giving back, through whatever acts of service you can do.”

Also in the crowd that day was RWU Law’s assistant dean of students Lorraine Lalli ’01, who said the Inauguration was an occasion she felt compelled to witness firsthand. “What an extraordinary event!” she recalled. “I feel very fortunate to have been in that crowd of millions from across the country – from different races, religions, ages, backgrounds, experiences and stations in life.

“Personally, the Inauguration of the first black president of the United States of America was also very emotionally moving,” Lalli added. “It was a tribute to the African-Americans throughout history who paved the way. It was also the ultimate fulfillment of the American dream as something that is available to us all.”

Rhode Islanders Everywhere!

Matthew Watson ’10 made the seven-hour drive from Providence to Washington a few days before the Inauguration and enjoyed attending a breakfast for Rhode Islanders at the
Park Hyatt hotel, hosted by Providence Mayor David Cicilline – where he found himself seated one table away from Lalli.

Shortly afterward, he ventured to the Hart Senate Building to pick up the Inauguration tickets he won in a lottery held by Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed. “Much to my surprise, Senator Reed was in his office, personally handing out the tickets,” Watson said. “I was grateful for the opportunity to speak with the Senator and thank him for his years of service to the citizens of Rhode Island.”

Those tickets placed Watson in an elevated standing area near the first Reflecting Pool, immediately in front of the Capitol, where he found himself swept up in the chanting and general euphoria of the crowd. “It was one of the few times in my life that I knew I was witnessing history unfold before my eyes,” he said.

Even in the vast crowd, chance meetings were ubiquitous. Watson bumped into Dean David Logan, who in turn reported running into Professor Jorge Elorza – who in a few weeks would help inaugurate the new Latino Policy Institute that he did much to establish at RWU – as well as Professor Keeva Terry, chosen by students as RWU Law’s 2008 Professor of the Year.

Logan said that, having passed through several security checkpoints, he “quickly became part of a huge crowd going nowhere. Crowd control was poor and signage nonexistent, which meant that many ticket holders – including Judge Netti Vogel [of the Rhode Island
Superior Court] and my son, Ben, who had been on Obama’s campaign staff – were unable to get to their designated areas in time for the ceremony.”

Logan himself eventually claimed “my square foot of earth on the Capitol grounds, close enough to the podium to feel the electricity of the moment, but alas – even with binoculars – a poor sight line.”

Among many othe reflections, Logan said “being in that place in a throng reminded me of my anti-Vietnam War marches in the same area, but with a decidedly different atmosphere. Instead of anger directed at the government, the crowd at the Obama Inauguration was jubilant and full of pride in our political system.”

Michael Boylen, assistant dean of admissions at RWU Law, agreed. “It was a big ‘Kumbaya’ moment,” he said. “A million people; just huge crowds; very little organization – and yet there were no tramplings, no arrests.” The event “made me think more broadly about this country and how I can give back,” Boylen said. “Since then I have had a much more positive feeling than I ever really did toward the political process.”

‘The Best of Humanity On Display’

Linn Freedman, a partner with Nixon Peabody LLP and member of RWU Law’s board of directors, also commented on the peacefulness of the vast crowds. “I have never before been in a circumstance where such a diverse crowd of people – of different races, religions and socioeconomic status – held an obvious common bond that was unspoken
between us,” she said. “Under other circumstances, it could have been a difficult and hostile crowd. What was amazing was that we were all happy to be squished together, and we treated each other with respect and dignity.”

Despite their differences, “We got to know each other, smiled and laughed at the fact that we were hungry, cold and nowhere near a porta-potty; we even complained to each other about the horrible crowd control. But there was electricity in the air, and we all embraced it. It was truly a sociological experiment that went right, but against all stereotypes. It was a fantastic experience!”

Laura Epperson, who manages production of RWU Law (and undergrad) publications, agreed that the city was alive with a palpable positive energy. “Everyone was so open and relaxed, soaking up the magic of the time and sharing it with those around them,” she said. “We were thrilled to be there to participate in such an historic moment. The best of humanity was on display.”

Epperson and her husband spent Inauguration Day visiting friends whose home featured a large balcony overlooking both the Capitol and the parade route. “From our perch we had a great view of the Capitol, and with binoculars you could view the stage,” Epperson said. “As we waited for the ceremony to start, we ate and socialized and marveled at the snipers on adjacent rooftops. When the ceremony began some chose to watch it on TV, but I decided to stay on the balcony and soak up the whole moment. To be there and hear Obama take the oath of office and address the nation, to hear the roar of the crowd on the Mall, was a moving and changing experience.”

Some RWU Law attendees had more overtly political perspectives. For example, alumnus Matt Jerzyk ’08 – founder of popular political blog Rhode Island Future – arrived in Washington in a very different mood than in 2001, when he came to protest the inauguration of former President George W. Bush. “I was so angry eight years ago,” Jerzyk told the Providence Journal. “So I worked my tail off, as a community organizer and as a blogger, to help change our president. Now we’ve finally done it. For me, it’s redemption.”

Attorney John “Jack” McConnell, a partner with Motley Rice LLC in Providence, who is also a major sponsor of RWU Law’s Public Interest Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) and a member of the University’s Board of Trustees – not to mention one of Rhode Island’s Obama electors – said two aspects of the Inauguration stood out for him.

“First was the unique experience of being part of a huge crowd of diverse people, all of whom exuded hope, optimism and community solidarity,” he said. “Hundreds of thousands of people from all over, all united in a new hopeful vision for our country and world.”

He also felt a new kind of patriotism. “Seeing so many diverse people becoming so emotional at the invocation of patriotic symbols at the inaugural made me feel like we have recaptured patriotism for all of our country,” McConnell said. “It seemed hijacked by a narrow band of ideologues for the past decade. Now, when the national anthem was played, or people waved their American flags it was out of a new sense of patriotism; that we are all in this together – and that’s what America is about.”

Indeed, everyone who spoke to Amicus about their visit to Washington that day expressed a lingering sense of inspiration and a resolve to bring its promise to fruition in the months and years ahead. Said Ahern, “Being in Washington, D.C., for the Inauguration was an inspiring experience – but it is equally inspiring to be back in Rhode Island, where this new era of responsibility must be demonstrated in each of our daily lives.”