By Chelsea Radler
By 11:20 PM, upon the announcement of Barack Obama's certain victory in the 2008 Presidential Election, students of The George Washington University flooded the streets of the capital.
The sounds of cheering and shouting drew throngs of students four blocks away to the White House, where an impromptu group gathered to celebrate and revel in the making of history.
Supporters held campaign signs, T-shirts, balloons, flags and their hands in the air. Different sections of the crowd cheered, "O-bam-a," "U-S-A" and "Yes, we did!" to the same beat, contributing to the air of patriotism that seemed to supersede partisanship.
Long-term Obama supporter and sophomore Patrick Hanley was overwhelmed by the energy of the crowd. "Triumphant embraces and tears were proof that people of every demographic won a personal victory even more than a national one. It was a poetic night. I don't know how many people I hugged last night, but I didn't know most of them," he said in retrospect.
The group of students became more cohesive as partisanship became secondary to the historical implications of the night.
Senior Ashley Rosen observed that even McCain supporters rallied at the White House. "They weren't cheering for Obama, but for the incredible moment in history we were witnessing. I feel like a lot of people put party politics aside and just cheered for our first black president," she said.
McCain supporter Erin Fee explains, "I was sad for awhile last night, but even my very Democratic friends didn't rub [McCain's loss] in my face. Instead, we ran to the White House and cheered all night in the pouring rain. It was one of the best nights I've had so far in college."
GWU students embrace history, not partisanship
Car horns trumpeting excitedly added to the electricity of the evening as the crowd sang "The Star Spangled Banner."
When one student was asked to give a statement at the rally, he granted the amateur cameraman a pensive stare after quiet consideration and replied, "Anything is possible."
"The energy and feeling of camaraderie was overwhelming. Just like Obama said in his speech, it really was a time for people of all ages, races and classes to come together. It felt like those classifications didn't matter," said sophomore Christina Roman of the gathering.
Christina Carlisi compared her experience at the White House to important events past. "I was reminded of the pictures in history books of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the riots on college campuses in the 1960's," she observed, nothing the historical gravity of the situation.
The Lincoln Memorial also drew an, albeit smaller, crowd that cheered "Obama '08," until the early morning hours.
The atmosphere in the streets of the District of Columbia suggested not only that history had been made, but that the excitement resonated beyond party affiliation.
Eytan Weber, sophomore, reiterated this patriotism when he said, "Last night, this country - MY country - overlooked superficial things like skin color and foreign middle names. In fact, the only thing it did see was a potential for the future. For the first time in my life, I am proud to be an American."
When one student was asked to give a statement at the rally, he granted the amateur cameraman a pensive stare after quiet consideration and replied, "Anything is possible."
"The energy and feeling of camaraderie was overwhelming. Just like Obama said in his speech, it really was a time for people of all ages, races and classes to come together. It felt like those classifications didn't matter," said sophomore Christina Roman of the gathering.
Christina Carlisi compared her experience at the White House to important events past. "I was reminded of the pictures in history books of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the riots on college campuses in the 1960's," she observed, nothing the historical gravity of the situation.
The Lincoln Memorial also drew an, albeit smaller, crowd that cheered "Obama '08," until the early morning hours.
The atmosphere in the streets of the District of Columbia suggested not only that history had been made, but that the excitement resonated beyond party affiliation.
Eytan Weber, sophomore, reiterated this patriotism when he said, "Last night, this country - MY country - overlooked superficial things like skin color and foreign middle names. In fact, the only thing it did see was a potential for the future. For the first time in my life, I am proud to be an American."
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