More than 50 people from Southwest Louisiana will be in Washington, D.C., today to witness the 57th Presidential Inauguration.
“During the four-day trip we plan to
see the inauguration but also the celebration of Martin Luther King’s
birthday and also
the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation
Proclamation,” said Abraham Janice Jr., a retired command sergeant
major. “The thing I am looking forward to is an opportunity to
visit the Lincoln Memorial, also the memorial that is newly
built honoring Dr. Martin Luther King and the Arlington National
Cemetery.”
Janice, along with wife Carolyn, started this trip in 2009 after watching the election and deciding there were people in the
area who were probably interested in attending the inauguration. They rented a bus and 57 people signed on to watch Barack
Obama be sworn in as president.
This year, with the help of their
friend Brenda Jackson, a diverse group of young and old people that
includes retirees, students
and educators will get to tour some of the capital’s most
recognized monuments in addition to viewing the Jan. 21 ceremony.
Janice said several of the people who attended the 2009 trip will
be joining them again. To make others aware of their second
trip, he put an ad in the newspaper and went to churches promoting
what he considers an important historical event.
Janice said he wants people to have an
understanding of what their tax money is being used for while in
Washington, D.C.,
and also have an opportunity to see the people who are
representing them. Sherryn Jefferson, who went with the first year’s
group and who will be going again this year, said this is special
for her because she knows many people will never get to
witness this event and that she is “blessed to go.”
In 2009 she took her son with her and this year hopes to visit the White House. But she is mainly looking forward to coming
back to Lake Charles and telling her friends and family about what she saw.
“I’m looking forward to witnessing
history in the making in the United States,” she said. “There are people
who never thought
they would see a black president of the United States and I’m 57
years of age and never in my life I thought I would witness
this.”
Jackson and her daughter will also be
returning this year and want to bring people who have not yet made a
trip for an inauguration.
Jackson said even though their first trip was cold and they were
gridlocked within the crowds everyone enjoyed themselves.
She hopes to continue the trip with future elections and said it
makes people more politically aware when they are able to
partake in the ceremonial event.
“People can know my vote does count, I do have a voice, I am now being a part of that difference; it’s what you’re able to
accomplish through your voting rights — we just want people to experience that,” Jackson