The second inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States took place in a private swearing-in ceremony on Sunday, January 20, 2013 in the Blue Room of the White House. A public ceremony marking the occasion took place on Monday, January 21, 2013 at the United States Capitol building. The inauguration marked the beginning of the second term of Barack Obama as President and Joe Biden as Vice President.
President Barack Obama used a Bible that belonged to Abraham Lincoln (he used it for his first Inauguration also) as well as one belonging to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as he took his oath of office. This was a powerful symbol of this year’s rare intersection of the civil rights movement and the nation’s first black president. “It’s almost like fate and history coming together,” said U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who worked alongside King in the fight for civil rights during the 1950s and ’60s and attended the inauguration. “If it hadn’t been for Martin Luther King Jr., there would be no Barack Obama as president.” Many Americans participated in a Day of Service in honor of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a day of Celebration of President Obama’s 2nd Inauguration.
The official theme for the 2013 inauguration was “Faith in America’s Future,” commemorating the United States’ perseverance and unity, marking the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the placement of the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol Dome in 1863.
The inauguration was physically attended by approximately a million people, and watched by millions more around the world. It was a very exciting day for many of us. Our President’s first inauguration was held on Tuesday January 20, 2009.
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Respectfully Submitted by Mary Herbert of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Wilson Lake Herbert Family Reunion Circle
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“Change is never easy, but always possible.” — President Barack Obama
