Yale Scholars and New Haven Residents Bear Witness to Historic Inauguration

New Haven residents and Yale historians will gather March 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the New Haven Museum at 114 Whitney Ave. for a unique celebration of the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama.

New Haven residents and Yale historians will gather March 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the New Haven Museum at 114 Whitney Ave. for a unique celebration of the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Sharing their eyewitness accounts and photographs, New Haven residents who attended the inauguration will relive the milestone event and a panel of distinguished scholars will put it in historical context.

To help capture the mood of the inauguration, which drew together one of  the largest public gatherings in American history, Yale’s Department of American Studies and the New Haven Museum have collaborated in producing this evening of discussions and presentations, which is open to the public. A contribution is requested, but is not required to attend.

Among the scheduled activities are

  • a PowerPoint presentation “24 Hours at the Inaugural” —a night-before to sundown- after chronology of a day in the life of America as seen by New Haven area residents and friends who were there.
  • the display of a selection of the best images submitted by Inauguration eyewitnesses.
  • a panel discussion with experts: Elizabeth Alexander, official poet of the Inaugural, and professor of African-American studies, English and American studies  at Yale; David Blight, professor of history and African American studies at Yale, and director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition;  James Bowers, attorney, Day Pitney LLP; Matthew Jacobson, professor of history and American studies at Yale; and Myra Jones-Taylor, graduate student in American Studies at Yale.
  • Light refreshments with participants and attendees.

The program is sponsored by the Department of American Studies at Yale, The Connecticut Humanities Council and NewAlliance Foundation.

For further information about the New Haven Museum, call (203) 562-4183 or visit www.newhavenmuseum.org or the New Haven Museum page on Facebook.

For publication-quality digital pictures related to this program, contact info@newhavenmuseum.org or (203) 526-4183 x 11.

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Media Contact

Dorie Baker: dorie.baker@yale.edu, 203-432-1345