(First posted at RACblog)
All weekend, Washington, DC was abuzz with a wide variety of inauguration-related festivities, culminating with the Tuesday's swearing-in ceremony and parade on the National Mall. Keep reading below the jump for inauguration reflections from several members of the RAC staff!

Jill Zimmerman, Legislative Assistant:
On Sunday I had the great pleasure of attending the 2009 EMILY's List Inaugural Luncheon, featuring Secretary Janet Napolitano, Secretary Hilda Solis, Governor Bev Perdue, Senator Kay Hagan, and (just confirmed by the Senate as I'm writing) Secretary Hillary Clinton. A few weeks ago, in my blog "8 Reasons to be a Feminist," I wrote that men rule our country - after all, the vast majority of elected officials in the United States are men. Sitting in the enormous hotel ballroom surrounded by thousands of feminists celebrating the elections of so many powerful women, it became clear that the days of men being the overwhelming majority of those in charge are coming to an end.

Jason Fenster, Legislative Assistant:
The last few days have been filled with events and experiences that I will be telling and retelling to friends for years. The day after, however, what is making the biggest impact on me is what I (and we) will do next. In his inaugural speech, President Obama said "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America." Immediately those words stuck with me and reminded me of an Alliance for Justice panel I went to on Monday called "Driving Change: The Role of Activists during the Obama Administration." The event included the requisite awesome-factor of a welcome from Josh Lyman, er, actor Bradley Whitford, and musical guest Peter Yarrow. The overall message of the panel was that while the past few days have been exciting, we are not free of responsibility. We have the obligation to push our government to enact the change and progress that We the People are calling for.

Rabbi Michael Namath, Program Director:
On Monday morning the social hall at Washington Hebrew Congregation was filled to capacity for the Martin Luther King Work Day. People had arrived and were eager to help because they saw service as a way of celebrating the inauguration. At one point the group was welcomed to the congregation and the members of the congregation were asked to raise their hands. About half of the people in the room raised their hands. Then the question was asked, "Who is here from out of town?" The other half of the room raised their hands. When they were asked where they had come from, it was amazing to hear their answers of Arizona, California, Michigan, and New Jersey to name a few. The feelings of hope, excitement, and thanksgiving floated through the air as the sea of people did their part in trying to make the world a better place.

Rachel Cohen, Legislative Assistant:
The best part of the inauguration day, for me, was the camaraderie I felt with complete strangers, simply because of our common excitement about being part of this historic event. We had friends and family crash on our couch and floor simply for the chance to walk down to the Mall in the morning with the crowds. While waiting for the ceremony to begin, I spoke to a father and son who traveled from Springfield, Illinois, to be in Washington for Inauguration. They had been in attendance when President Obama announced his candidacy, which now seems like a distant memory, and had faithfully followed his campaign ever since. In my opinion, the news reports are getting it right; yesterday felt like history in the making, and taking the time to talk to those who made the trek to Washington to be part of it was just another reminder.

Arielle Gingold, Legislative Assistant:
Being on the Mall Tuesday with the huddled (and freezing!) masses as President Obama was sworn in was an experience of a lifetime. We began our eight-hour stint on the Mall as the sun rose over the Capitol, a beautiful and fitting start to a new presidency. But having spent months advocating for an end to U.S.-sponsored torture and indefinite detention, an issue about which I care deeply, the most powerful and emotional moment for me came when President Obama said: "As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers...drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man...Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake." I could not agree more wholeheartedly.

Jessie Weiser, Program Associate on Judicial Nominations:
Being in DC for Barack Obama's inauguration was undoubtedly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Witnessing and participating in the various ceremonies and celebrations was certainly a wonderful way mark this historic moment. But my favorite moment of inauguration weekend was walking through Dupont Circle and seeing a giant Constitution, which thousands of people were signing. It was a great reminder that our nation was built on the belief that each individual matters and that each one of us is responsible for helping to build a more perfect union. President Obama reflected this sentiment in his inauguration speech as he emphasized the need for all of us to do service and contribute to society in every way that we can. Hopefully this transfer of power will also begin a national transformation that leads each American citizen to be empowered, important, engaged, and involved.

Micaela Hellman-Tincher, Legislative Assistant:
The election of the first African-American president is special to us young folks at the RAC, but it was clear that it had even greater meaning to the generations before me. My mom and I joined the crowds to watch the inauguration together, and I not only enjoyed the view of the capital, but also of my mom reveling in the moment. Since she was little she's been committed to making America a better, more just place, and has been teaching U.S. History for decades in an effort to make help make a world where inaugurations like yesterday's are not fanciful dreams, but reality. Later in the day I spoke to my grandmother, who also had worked for civil rights and a better America for many years before I was born. She said she had not known when or if an inauguration like Tuesday's would happen.

Obama called for all of us to work together to remake our economy, our country and our world. Sometimes I feel like my work in this arena-trying to stop genocide, making a dent in global poverty-will never meet real success. But for the generations before me, I think many felt their work find success yesterday, and so I can remain inspired that our activism today will also prevail!

Barbara Weinstein, Legislative Director:
I moved to Washington over a decade ago, inspired by the ideas of public service and communal responsibility. To this day, I get a buzz when I drive past the Lincoln Memorial. I grin when I exit the highway under the sign marked "U.S. Senate." And I never look at the White House without feeling a bit of inspiration. But I have rarely been as awed as I was on Tuesday, standing in the shadow of the Washington Monument, looking at the sea of people that stretched ahead of me to the steps of the U.S. Capitol. For a period in our nation's history when circumstances could in many ways be described as "bleak," a sense of good cheer was everywhere. No doubt there were plenty of people in the crowd of 1.5 million who did not vote for the new President. But each wanted to do more than witness history; each wanted to be a part of history. And so we were.

President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle walk the parade route while Conference Planner Katie Dochen watches from the bleachers and snaps this picture, amazed by just how tall the two are in person.

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