Fundamentals of Interactive Journalism

By Maya Pope-Chappell

Photo Taken by Unknown

When I found out that I won inauguration tickets last week I thought it was a scam.  The email came through my phone announcing that I won the inauguration “lottery” through Sen. Charles Schumer. I suppressed my excitement until I was able to verify the win by calling up the senator’s office.
The lottery was real!

Nearly 150,000 New Yorkers entered the lottery to win tickets to the 56th Presidential Inauguration, but only 175 were chosen from New York State.  Nationally, there are about 240,000 available tickets for the swearing-in ceremony of President elect, Barack Obama.

While the fact that I won the tickets is still a bit surreal for me, I always sort of had this feeling that something would happen.  It’s hard to describe, but it’s that feeling you get when inside, you know things will just work in your favor.  And thank God it did!

This means so much; not only to me, but to my family, friends, and especially the people that paved the way for people like Barack Obama; names like Martin Luther King, Shirley Chisholm and the thousands of nameless people who were instrumental in breaking down the barriers of racial inequality.

That is why I accept this ticket humbly.  Because I know that like Obama, I would not have been afforded the opportunities that I have had without the tireless work of those that came before me.  It is because of their persistence, resilience, and dedication to the struggle that I am able to share this pivotal moment in history with millions.

It is for those that have lived to see this day come…

Living to See the Day
By Kristen Joy Watts, Collin Orcutt and Michael Paul Preston