A Proud Day for Black America, and for the Rest of the Nation, Too

A Proud Day for Black America, and for the Rest of the Nation, Too

By JIM DWYER

In a city of fiercely private spaces, people wanted to plant their flags in the moment, but not in solitude.

Aurora Burke and her sister Wilma Marshall found that they had arrived too late to watch the inaugural ceremony at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture on 135th Street in Harlem: a few minutes after 11 Tuesday morning, every seat and spot to stand in the auditorium was taken.

The sisters quickly changed course and headed to the plaza outside the state office building on 125th Street, where a giant television screen and speakers had been set up. “Even with the cold,” Ms. Burke said, “it’s too important to do alone.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE [NYT]