This days intrvyou with 2 peepl

This days intrvyou with Miss Ford and Das Willyums. TJAllison

"We go to Washington, DC tomorrow. Tomorrow is Thursday, and we leave on Thursday. And we are going to Washington, DC to go to the inauguration. We will fly on the plane." TJ

The following are the abridged transcripts of TJ's interview with Principal Kate Ford and Councilmember Das Williams:

Excerpts of TJ’s interview with Kate Ford, Principal of Peabody Charter School.


TJ: So, what do you think the inauguration will be like?

KF: First of all, I think that it is really going to be an exciting experience. Especially exciting for people who are there, like you but also very exciting for the whole American public because it is such an important and historic moment. I think that it is going to be a great, great day. Do you?

TJ: Yeah. Do you think there are going to be lots and lots of people? I do.

KF: I have read that they think there are going to be millions of people. So of course there are going to be big, big crowds and you are going to see so many different kinds of people, young and old, different races. Maybe from different countries even. You’ll probably see a lot of reporters and cameramen. So I think that it will be very crowded but I think they have it well organized.

TJ: Yes, There will be black and white people.

KF: Yes there will be all different races of people there and I think because he is the first African American president. And because it is so amazing and wonderful that he is the first African American president that the whole American public is going to be watching very closely.

TJ: Yes, he is the first president to be a color.

KF: Yes, that is right.

TJ: Yes, he is black.

KF: It is really, really significant and important and interesting because it is the day after Martin Luther King Day which we celebrate on Monday which you will be celebrating in Washington, DC also. So you have Martin Luther King Day on Monday and then on Tuesday the inauguration who has an African American for president. Wow, that is amazing.

TJ: I think it is going to be fun.

KF: You are going to have a great time. And I think that you are going to see a president who is really smart and really caring. And I think that he is very brave. I think that your experience is going to be really wonderful.

TJ: Yes. And I hope that he makes it against the law to do nuclear bombs.

KF: Sure. We’re going to try for peace in our world aren’t we?

TJ: Yes, because we don’t like nuclear bombs.


Excerpts of TJ’s Interview with Das Williams, Santa Barbara City Councilmember


TJ: So, what do you think the inauguration will be like?

DW: Well, the bad part is that there will be a lot of people and it will be hard to get around Washington, DC. The good part is you are going to be a part of history and maybe one of the most hopeful events in very, very troubled times. Some day you are going to look back at this, I hope, and say I was there when America got back on the right track again. I hope that when you grow up, you will look back on this and say that you are proud of what America is and what it stands for.

TJ: So, Obama is the first president to be a color, he is black.

DW: Well yes. I also think of it like this. He’s kind of like me and you. Our Mom’s and Dad’s are of different races. We’re kind of a mixed race. So maybe he is the first president that is like us, of mixed races in America too.

TJ: Yes.

TJ: Well, the bad news is, we’ve been going on the wrong track.

DW: Well, economically that is true.

TJ: I hope that Obama leads us to the right track.

DW: I hope so too. You know what I think is more important than just hope to make sure that happens? By us being really active. You know that’s what Obama has talked about. You know before he was elected president, he was a community organizer. Before he was a senator, he was a community organizer. What that is all about is getting everyday people, like me and you, to stand up and say this is what we need in our community. So what he has said is, look I can’t change America, you have to, we have to do it together. Sometimes people expect a great leader to come along and wave a magic wand. Well it’s not magic; it is hard work. If we work really hard to help him, maybe we’ll be able to get the country on the right track.

TJ: And how we do it, is, we can plant more plants a whole bunch of stuff.

DW: We can do a lot. One of the most important things is to get people, a lot of people to work because right now, there is more than seven percent unemployment in the country. A lot of people can’t earn enough money to help their families and that is pretty hard for a lot of folks.