Caritas Village, which is centered around the idea of racial reconciliation, proved to be the ideal setting to hear the stories that arose out of this unifying ceremony. Expedition members and community residents gathered round the pair in an upstairs room to share an intimate conversation about hope, unity, and the role both of these play in creating a more positive future.

"Mother King," who played a significant role in the American Civil Rights movement from a young age, was able to share inspiring anecdotes about her early efforts to help register black voters, and her part in the march on Washington. Her experience and commitment to Civil Rights earned her a place near the front of the inauguration audience, and a chance to watch history happen from up close.

Harry Brown spoke strongly of the unity of the crowd. His spot near the Washington Monument was not as close to the ceremony as Mother King’s, but the sense of excitement, unity, and connection with his fellow onlookers was not diminished by distance. The cheering and enthusiasm of the crowd impacted him strongly, and he was kind enough to share his coverage of the event that helped illustrate the emotions that were running through the group of onlookers.

Those of us who were able to meet with these two and hear their stories personally, left feeling inspired, and a little more hopeful for our nation’s future. Below we have posted videos of our conversations for all to see. Thank you for letting us sharing with you.

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The post "Inauguration Expedition" by lunaweb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Many Americans were able to stand together in Washington D.C. for a symbolic and communal moment, that they were lucky enough to witness first-hand.  Memphis, had it’s share of representatives gather at the capitol that day, and the Social Media Expedition is organizing a way to enable them to share, document, and preserve their stories for the rest of us.

Saturday at 4:30 at Caritas Village in Memphis, a town hall styled gathering will be held.  Various families and individuals who witnessed the inauguration will be there to answer questions and share their stories from the event.  Expedition members are invited to be there to give web 2.0 coverage from this meeting through photos, video, and audio.  More importantly we encourage you to come listen to the stories and ask questions of your own. See the Facebook event for details and RSVP.

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The post "Inauguration Stories" by lunaweb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.