Celebrate History in the Making

"A New Birth of Freedom" commemorates the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, and is the theme for the inaugural ceremonies for 44th President Barack Obama. There will be a local, wide screen viewing at the Alameda Main Library. The event is hosted by the League of Women Voters of Alameda, the Friends of the Alameda Free Library and the Alameda Free Library.

The free event will begin at 7:30 a.m. Admittance will be through the back garden entrance. Light refreshments will be served. The community viewing in the library's Stafford Meeting Room will continue until the final activity, the inaugural parade, has finished.

By law, the new president must be sworn in by noon, so the actual swearing in will occur at 8:50 a.m. our time. Before that, those attending will see the seating of the dignitaries, invocation and swearing in of the new vice president, Senator Joseph Biden. Following the presidential inaugural address, the reading of a poem by Elizabeth Alexander and the benediction, the dignitaries will have lunch in the Capitol's Statuary Hall. The parade to the White House down Pennsylvania Avenue will be the final scene in this momentous day's events.

Kate Quick, president of the Alameda League of Women Voters, said, "Excitement about this historical event is high. We want to provide a place where the Alameda community can share a sense of participation in history.

Gathering together to see it will make it truly a great day to remember.

Members of the League who are also librarians have prepared a presidential trivia contest which we will hold at the same time as the viewing and that should be fun, too."

COA Blends MLK's Day with Obama's

The College of Alameda will celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States in an event Jan. 20 from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the college's F Building Student Lounge. The celebration, with the theme From "I Have a Dream" to "Yes We Can," will bring the community together to witness the inauguration as a benchmark on the road to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s vision and a renewal of American ideals. The event is free and open to the public.

A live television feed of the inauguration events will begin at 8 a.m. The procession to the Capitol will be followed by the swearing in at 9 a.m. During breaks in television coverage, an open mike will allow members of the College of Alameda community and others to provide interpretation and commentary.

Speakers will include:

Dr. George Herring, College of Alameda president, on the path from Martin Luther King, Jr. to today and what it means to us. Herring worked with King and then at Peralta helped support the creation of the Black Panthers social movement at Merritt College.

Associated Students President Lay Um and other ASCOA representatives on student government goals for the coming year, including development of an International Students' Association and Black Student Union.

Dr. Jannett Jackson, COA vice president of instruction, on women in the Civil Rights movement.

Jo Streit, producer of the Peralta Colleges Black Panther film just released this past semester, on what she learned.

The College of Alameda library will share in the celebration with a display of books about the U.S. presidency.

Inauguration Trivia

1. Which president did the first inaugural parade honor?

2. Which president was the first to ride to inauguration ceremonies in an automobile?

3. How many inaugurations occurred because of a presidential death?

4. Which president held the first Inaugural Ball and how much were the tickets?

5. Who was the first president to include African-Americans in his inaugural parade?

Answers

1. Thomas Jefferson on March 4, 1805

2. Warren G. Harding on March 4, 1921

3. 8

4. James Madison, $4 a ticket

5. Abraham Lincoln