President of AASA at Obama Inauguration
Jan 20, 2009
Edison State College African-American Student Association President Shamecca Johnson just witnessed history. She was selected to travel to Washington DC to watch the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. The Fort Myers News-Press is documenting her trip. Shamecca's story was featured on the front page of today's newspaper. Following is today's article: This is the trip of a lifetime for Edison State College student BY JANINE ZEITLIN • JZEITLIN@NEWS-PRESS.COM • JANUARY 19, 2009 BENSON, N.C. —Shameca Johnson eased into window seat No. 14 on the charter bus idling at a Fort Myers church after midnight Monday. It was past her bedtime. Her head pounded. Was it nerves or exhaustion? Outside, mothers gave their sons final pecks before the group of 35 boarded the inaugural-bound bus. Drowsy teachers, students, activists and families shuffled on the bus Monday organized by the local Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The petite 31-year-old college student pulled out her journal, a sky-blue pocket notebook. She scribbled her thoughts in red ink. “12:31 a.m. Wow, could this really be for me? It could have been anybody, somebody but it was me. … I ask you God to bless each one of us that has a seat on this bus and give us traveling mercy for we are all going down in history.†Johnson, who heads the African American Students Association at Edison State College, is still in a pinch-me state. Picked to represent Edison, she came burdened with algebra and history books. “At first I thought, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ And, then ‘why not me?’†she said. “My eyes will see a lot come tomorrow.†Johnson entered foster care around age 2 after being abandoned. She lost a child shortly after birth about six years ago. This year, the former assistant manager at a gas station has stayed focused on building a career. She looks to Barack Obama for inspiration. “Once he got elected, it was like, ‘I can do all things.’ Martin Luther King’s torch was passed on and with Obama it burns even brighter,†she said. The bus steered through the darkness and halted at a truck stop near Ocala after 4 a.m. Monday. Johnson jotted in her notebook. “4:30 a.m. I’ve got to get a little more sleep. It’s homework in the morning.†She tried to doze as the other passengers watched movies, tossed and turned or snored. Come daylight, the bus pulled into Shoney’s in Savannah, Ga., where two other D.C.-bound buses from Jacksonville pulled in and drew gazes from already harried waitresses. “8:20 a.m. I might be going down in history but if I want my degree, work must go on.†After breakfast, Johnson spread her books on her lap and pulled out her purple highlighter. Riders were anxious to be wedged in history and to what Obama will say in his inaugural speech. After hours on the road, they’re just ready to be there. As the bus rolled into Benson, N.C., after 2 p.m. Monday, Saoud Cenatus, 18, peered out his window in hopes of spotting mountains. He’s never been farther than Georgia. “We’re in North Carolina, but it looks just like Florida,†he said, disappointed. His mother, Marie, bought him a crisp, new white shirt for the suit he will wear Tuesday. “I’ll be part of history. To me, dressing casual makes it seem like I could care less about it,†he said. “We never know if Obama will walk through the crowd.†Before heading to her assigned room at the Days Inn with the view of Interstate 95, Johnson scratched a final entry. “It’s 2:30 p.m. The weather sure is not like Florida. It’s cold up here. It’s Johnson County, my county.†The group will be one of an estimated 10,000 buses making the pilgrimage to Washington. Today’s departure time: 2 a.m., which may get pushed back to midnight due to gridlock. On any other day, which today is not, D.C. is almost five hours away. The riders are not letting predictions of snow and gridlock cool their fervor. “It’s beautiful,†said Willie Green, 74, a principal organizer. “I’m just happy. Every moment just adds to the excitement.†Still, riders departed in flip-flops and shorts and headed to nearby fast-food joints or the supermarket for snacks before settling in for the night. They want to get some rest. Today’s a big day. They want to be ready.
Last Updated: January 20, 2009
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