The Northwest Dragon & Lion Dance Association performs at the inaugural parade Jan. 21. Based in Oregon, their purpose is to pass culture of the traditional lion and dragon dance to future generations.Trung Ho and Anh Pham, of Philadelphia, Pa. and students at Drexel University show off their Obama pins. They came to D.C. for the weekend for the 57th presidential inauguration. During their trip, they also visited Mount Vernon and the Newsuem. Pham said she wanted to go to inauguration because it was a “great opportunity” that doesn’t happen often.From left: Rachel Li, John Smith, Mai Li Goodman, Anne Conway, Chloe Smith, and Winter Guerra came to inauguration from Brooklyn, NY. They decided to come for a school field trip. They attend St. Anne’s School in Brooklyn.Celema Abente, from New Jersey said she came to the inauguration four years ago but was unable to come in. This time, she positioned herself early and brought reading material so she could see the inaugural parade.Deepak Langam, Raymond Tuazon, Jonathan Wong hold flags while waiting for the inaugural parade to begin. The student attend John Hopkins University and helped elect Obama. The group came out to the inauguration starting at 7 a.m.From left: Nancy Xiong, Nongnah Her, Peng Her, Kashia Her, YuePeng Her, and Mai Zong Vue wait for the inaugural parade to start on Constitution Ave. They decided to come from Wisconsin to be involved in “all the energy.” One of their favorite D.C. destination is Rock Creek Park.The Chinese American Community Center Folk Dance Troupe from Hockessin, Del., perform at the inaugural parade. The troupe has also performed at the Kennedy Center, National Theatre and the Smithsonian Institution.
A diverse group of people gathered for the 57th presidential inauguration on Jan. 21 to watch President Obama takes the oath of office for his second term. Although the crowds were smaller than the 2009 inauguration, there were still hundreds of thousands who flocked to the National Mall and the inaugural parade route to witness a part of history. There was still a sense of excitement on inauguration day as people waved their American flags and cheered during the ceremonial swearing-in. People donned hats and pins with the president’s visage on them and vendors sold Obama-themed items, such as calendars with photos of the Obama family.
Among the hundreds of thousands were Asian Americans of all backgrounds. No matter what state they lived in, and whether they had to take a plane or walk to get there, they were all excited to be in D.C. to mark the beginning of the president’s last term in office. For almost all of them, it was the first inauguration celebration they had ever attended. Here are their thoughts and experiences on inauguration day 2013.
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