Consulate Program Remembers Grace of MLK Amid Grandeur of President Obama’s Inauguration

January 21 2009

Consul General Beatrice Camp offers congratulations to an American consulate officer who is honored to be playing President Obama during a fun Inauguration-focused program with Chinese students and faculty on January 21, 2009.

A group of Chinese university students and faculty on winter break joined Consul General Beatrice Camp and U.S. Consulate officers to share in a special Consulate event to mark both the observance of Martin Luther King (MLK) Day and the Inauguration of President Barack Obama.  Consul General Beatrice Camp hosted the event and set a celebratory tone early to help the gathering understand the positive, hopeful atmosphere in the United States accompanying Obama’s inauguration.  Public Affairs Officer Tom Cooney used visual images to explain the symbolism of the National Mall in Washington, DC, and how it physically connects Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial end of the Mall to President Obama’s oath of office on January 20 at the Capitol Hill end, just one day after the nation observed the annual Martin Luther King Day of Service.  Consulate officer Andrea Corey explained the lasting significance of the American civil rights movement to the students and showed one of the most stirring passages of Dr. King’s famous speech.  The group then watched the most important highlights of President Obama’s inauguration, including the oath of office, opening and closing prayers, musical performances, and a reading of the Inaugural Poem by Elizabeth Alexander written especially for the occasion.