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Inauguration

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January 20, 2009

Group gathers to celebrate at Old Agency Baptist Church

By Cathy Spaulding



People attending a “Celebration Bash” at Old Agency Baptist Church on Tuesday shared a variety of reasons why they celebrated the inauguration of Barack Obama.

“It’s just the fact that we have a president who has a care for the country and the people and isn’t afraid of change,” said Julia Palmer, a minister who retired from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. “I’ve been married to a black man for 16 years and faced prejudice, especially in 1972 in Muskogee.”

Muskogee High School student Blake Wilburn called the inauguration “a change for our country.

At least a dozen adults and several children gathered for the Celebration, a combination watch party, pot luck and educational session. Several of those attending said they were notified of the event through MoveOn.org, a national progressive political organization. Others were members of the church.

“With MoveOn.org we are observing a passage,” said Lorena Robinson, a MoveOn member who coordinated the get-together. “There is overwhelming excitement about this new president.”

The event wasn’t all fun and fellowship.

Robinson handed out a trivia quiz about past inaugurations and had youngsters write essays on what made Tuesday so important. A rebroadcast of the inauguration was on a television. The evening opened with a prayer.

“The most important thing tonight was praying for our president,” Robinson said.

“We have a president who thinks about possibilities,” said Bonnie Pierce, a nurse. She recalled Obama’s early campaign slogan of “Yes We Can.”

“That is so important in my life,” she said. “Our ability to innovate is how we came to be a world leader. Obama is just a perfect leader for our country.”



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