Montrealers watch Obama from near and far

Montrealers are marking Barack Obama's historic inauguration Tuesday at home and in Washington, D.C.

Several community events are taking place across the island, in churches, campus pubs and people's living rooms.

In Ville Saint-Laurent, Obama's inauguration has been the main topic of discussion in an ethics and religion class at Lauren Hill Academy (Junior Campus).

Students in the school will watch all the pomp and circumstance on a big screen Tuesday, when Obama takes his presidential oath around noon, said Grade 8 teacher Andrew Adams. 

"[The] first black president is a significant marker," he said. "That's what makes it special, and it happening now in our lifetime is not something people had anticipated."

Summit Ollivierre, 13, called Obama's inauguration a "great feat for humanity and the African-American race."

"Not a lot of people had faith that a black guy could be president in this day and age," she said. "It made me feel special as a black student, 'cause now I know that anything is possible, and all the stereotypes that people had were broken."

Obama's speech will resonate among young people, Ollivierre added. "He said that change is coming up, and it doesn't matter how old or young you are, you can effect change."

Montrealers journey to U.S. capital

A busload of Montrealers travelled to Washington to attend the inauguration.

It's an event not to be missed live, explained Régine Leroy, a 32-year-old Haitian-Montrealer who planned to watch the ceremony on one of more than 20 jumbo outdoor screens set up around the National Mall, near the U.S. Capitol Building.

"I want to be able to tell my children, my parents, all my friends that I was there," she said. "[That] I lived the moment, I saw people cry, I saw people laughing, I saw people hugging, I had shivers...and I was just proud to be myself."

Shirley Gilles, a member of the Union United Church, also travelled to Washington to bear witness. "I know we probably won't get close to where we want to be, but it's just part of history that I feel that," said the 60-year old Montrealer. "I am just so excited to be there. I can't stress [how] I never thought in my lifetime I would see this happen."

Quebec Immigration Minister Yolande James will be watching the ceremony on television because Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, are inspiring figures, she said. 

"Yes, he's the president of the United States, and that is a huge accomplishment in and of itself, but it is how he's been able to do things," James said this week.

"He did things with integrity, never compromising his values, and in a way that says 'everyone can be a part of this, and everyone has a role to play.'"