Island’s African-American community rejoices

While most in the CNMI were asleep around 3am Wednesday, visiting civil rights activist MarshaRose Joyner was holding back tears as she joined millions all over the world watch live on television the swearing in of Barack Obama as the first African-American president of the United States.

“I was overwhelmed…It doesn’t matter that we’re not in [Washington] D.C.,” Joyner said, who came to Saipan as keynote speaker for Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities on the eve of Obama’s inauguration.

Joyner joined members of the CNMI African-American Cultural Preservation Committee led by attorney Joe Hill in the wee hours of Wednesday at Bud’s Bar in Garapan for the live telecast of Obama’s swearing in and inauguration speech.

“I was moved when he said about 60 years ago, his father could not eat in a restaurant and now his son has been sworn in as president of the United States,” she said.

Joyner, who first came to Saipan as an 8-year-old girl during the closing years of World War II from 1946 to 1949, said she’s sorry that she couldn’t be with her children and grandchildren to witness the historic inauguration.

“But everybody on Saipan has been wonderful to me. It’s like a new family. It’s really been good to be here,” she added.

Leslie Jackson of the CNMI African-American Cultural Preservation Committee was also overwhelmed with the swearing in of the first African-American president of the United States.

“Now is the time to let freedom ring and it can be done around the world,” said Jackson, who opened his own bar beyond 2am so that people could watch Obama’s inauguration live on TV.

“This is a part of fulfilling the MLK dream. It’s not the whole fulfillment…We pray for Barack and his family to lead this country in a responsible way,” he added.

For attorney Joe Hill, president of the African-American Cultural Preservation Committee, he said: “It’s a great day for America. It’s a great day for the world,”

Hill said Obama’s ascendancy as the 44th president of the United States of America is significant not only to America but to the world because it sets a new stage—about a new generation of leaders and ways of thinking and looking at the world.

“You now see the world through color of not black and white but a color of unity and a world where persons are chosen to be leaders based not on the color of the skin,” Hill said.

Attorney Jeanne Rayphand said it is her hope that Obama will bring the troops home from Iraq and then make every effort to bring the U.S. back to the very ideals that make the country great.

“[Obama should] regain for the United States the respect and trust of not only our own American citizens but of citizens around the world, and to lead our world toward peace,” Rayphand said.

Others like Fe A. Cepeda and her husband Frank Cepeda watched the inauguration live on TV in their own home.

“Frank is into politics and I also watched it. I’m for Obama because he’s for change,” she said. “I think it’s getting to a point when we’re going to have a lot of changes hopefully for the best.”

Other residents were not able to watch the swearing in ceremony at around 3am Saipan time, but they were able to watch the reruns and the parade at a later time. [B][I](With Ferdie de la Torre)[/I][/B]