Jan 20, 2009 2:39 pm US/Eastern
'Inauguration Of A Dream' At Harlem Armory
Thousands Of Local Students Attend Harlem Armory's 'Inauguration Of Our Dreams' Event
Reporting
Jay Dow
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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An artist shows his sign in Washington D.C. on January 20. Thousands of students in this same spirit are expected to attend the Harlem Armory's 'Inauguration of Dreams' event to celebrate the historic day.
Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
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President-elect Barack Obama helps paint the walls at the Sasha Bruce House, a shelter for teens on Jan. 19, 2009, in Washington, D.C.
Joshua Roberts-Pool/Getty Images
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Michelle Obama helps volunteers with Operation Gratitude on National Service Day on Jan. 19, 2009, at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images
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President-elect Barack Obama (left), Vice President-elect Joseph Biden (cent) and Commander Military District of Washington Maj. Gen. Richard Rowe (R) pay their respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Jan. 18, 2009.
Dennis Brack/Getty Images
Thousands of people who didn't make the trek to Washington instead went to the Harlem Armory to celebrate "Inauguration of a Dream."
When President-elect Obama took the stage through his taking the Presidential Oath, and being sworn in as America's 44th president, he had a captive audience in Harlem.
"It is the biggest party in Harlem, maybe the biggest in New York," said Harlem school principal Seth Andrews.
Thousands of students from 32 public schools across the city are expected to pack the armory today.
"So we're expecting 5,000 other children from 34 other schools. The students will be working on post cards for Obama, telling the soon to be president what they'd do if they were president," said Katie Duffy, of 'Inauguration of a Dream.'
"I feel elated because I never thought it would be this big," said student Amina Niass.
Just as Abraham Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address attempted to heal a nation after the Civil War and FDR's motivational words propped up a country wallowing in a painful depression. So too will President-elect Obama's inauguration as the 44th president reveal new possibilities to a new generation of youth who now know that their dreams are within reach.
The party will extend far beyond Harlem; from City Hall to Brooklyn Borough Hall to Times Square, and beyond. The chairs are in place, and for many so are high expectations for the new commander-in-chief in these difficult times.
Ronell Gilbert of the Bronx took her 12-year-old son, Brian, to join the celebration at Sylvia's restaurant. "I'm just elated to show him this. I'm just so happy it happened in my lifetime and in his," the 36-year-old postal supervisor said.
"I never wanted to be president when I was younger. But now I know I could be if I wanted to be. Now I know it's possible," added Brian.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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