“People realized we may not see anything like this again,” says former campaign and White House staffer Heather Foster of the historic 2009 swearing-in of President Barack Obama.
Fifteen years ago today, the United States of America achieved something that it had not done in its more than 230-year history: a Black president was sworn into office.
Former President
“They said, ‘Thank you for what you did for us,’” recalled Blake, who later worked as associate director for the White House Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs.
“We kind of started bawling out crying because the King family is turning to you, and a Black man is about to become president,” he remembered. Years later, Blake was elected to the New York State Assembly. “That has always stayed with me.”
Strautmanis, who is now vice chair of the Obama Foundation, was emotional when recalling what the moment meant for him personally and his family.
“Most of the family that came to the inauguration stayed with us … on couches in sleeping bags. I actually literally think a family member slept in a sleeping bag in our closet,” he recollected.
“As we were leaving to all go down to the inauguration, I looked around our home and … I was just so grateful for everything that the people who cared about me and sacrificed to allow me to do.”
He continued, “I just thought about all the sacrifices that were made by people who I knew, and I didn’t know, and I knew I couldn’t let them down.”
Reflecting on what the Obama administration achieved while in office, Foster noted that the White House leveraged record-low interest rates and most notably passed the Affordable Care Act, which led to a record number of Black Americans gaining access to health care.
Foster said the country also had conversations around race that it hadn’t before.
“There were huge issues with policing that we never even discussed as a country. Too often, things would happen, and it was swept under the rug,” she added. “There’s been a true ability as a minority in this country to have our issues heard, talked about, and discussed.”
However, former Obama staffers lamented that the ushering in of America’s first Black president also led to racial and political backlash.
“There seemed to be sometimes a growing resentment of people not understanding what that means for their lives, or if their life didn’t change in the way that they thought it would,” Foster said.
Fifteen years later, Richardson said America’s politics have become more divisive.
“The difference now is that it’s become a lot more personal,” she said. “It’s not just about policy differences, but it’s become something a little bit darker.”
Blake said there is an “overt, intentional prejudice and racism,” both in rhetoric and policy, that is “stronger than it’s been since the 60s.”
“It is not just a backlash to President Obama winning when he did,” he said. “It is the fear of lost power and control where we are watching in real time a coalition of voters and people who, in their mind, Black and brown people winning is them losing, as opposed to everybody winning together.”
He added, “When energy is being spent to ban books as opposed to ban assault weapons, something is not working.”
However, Blake said because of the success of Obama, young Black leaders have continued to emerge in American politics, including a host of Black mayors in cities across the country.
“You should feel good when you can see a Justin Bibb in Cleveland or Melvin Carter in St. Paul or Tishaura Jones in St. Louis, or Cherelle Parker in Philly,” he said.
Though the story of race in America continues to be written as the election of its first Black president, Obama administration alumni believe his legacy continues to inspire what is yet to come.
Valerie Jarrett, a longtime friend and advisor to both Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, said in a statement to theGrio that his inauguration “signified that the United States stood for the power of ordinary people with hope, and a willingness to work hard together, to change our country.”
“This ideal drives the work of the Obama Foundation today as we help the next generation of leaders bring change home,” said the foundation’s CEO.
Foster said of Obama’s legacy, “For Black Americans, it is this incredible example to point to where we can achieve, despite all of the hurdles that have been given to [them].”
She added, “I think there is still an incredible story of hope.”
Gerren Keith Gaynor is a White House Correspondent and the Managing Editor of Politics at theGrio. He is based in Washington, D.C.
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