Danville residents gather at Bibleway to watch inauguration

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As about 70 people gathered Tuesday at Bibleway Worldwide Church’s multipurpose building to watch President Barack Obama take the oath of office, Chief Apostle Lawrence Campbell Sr. recommended a sober celebration of the inauguration of the county’s first black president.

He said people should notlook at the new president as a “panacea of all our ills,” noting that it will take time for the county’s financial situation to be reversed.

“People need to realize we didn’t get into this overnight and it’s going to take time to come out of it,” Campbell said.

Deacon Jeff Coleman said different groups in the church worked together to make sure people could watch the inauguration at Bibleway, some handling the preparation of food while others worked on decorating the room.

Two big-screen televisions were donated by a rental company for the day and were positioned at either end of the room so everyone was able to see the inauguration, Coleman said.

People listened quietly to Obama’s speech, not wanting to miss a word, though a few “amens” were heard at different points and occasional applause broke out.

“Today is a great day,” Henry Harley said, though he pointed out that “the country is not doing well” and Obama will have trouble getting everything straightened out.

Haley, a local contractor, said the economy is affecting his business and he hopes Obama can work on it while dealing with two wars.

“Taking care of (the economy) is a war in itself,” he noted. “As a contractor, I’m just holding on by a string.”

Matthew Williams said he believes the election of the first African-American president will give hope to young men.

“It’s going to teach young men they can always go further, they don’t have to settle for just anything,” Williams said. “They can reach for the stars.”

Vivian Thompson called the occasion “awesome,” while Linda Poke wasn’t sure “awesome” was a big enough word to describe the day.

“For the first time, we have a president that’s capable of representing all races, of representing the United States as a whole,” Poke said. “Black people, white people, have embraced him to the point where we can finally pull together as a nation — and when people pull together, this country can’t help but move forward.”

Alonzo Jones, a Danville School Board member, said he has seen change steadily come to the city over the years and he is excited to see the country moving forward together.

“In Danville, we’ve already begun to see change by working together cohesively,” Jones said.

Rose Cain said she was thrilled to see the presidential inauguration of an African-African during her lifetime.

“We did so much in Danville to get to this day,” Cain said. “I’m just overwhelmed.”

Judy Fuller watched the inauguration sitting next to her daughter and holding her toddler grandson on her lap.

“It’s history for my children and my grandchildren,” Fuller said. “I’m glad we’re all here to see this.”

• Contact Denice Thibodeau at or (434) 791-7985.