Walls Coming Down

Bruce Warren interviews some of Auburn's African-Americans regarding Obama's inauguration:

Anthony Porter, 55, an Auburn resident since 1995, said Obama’s election night was actually more emotional for him.

“When he got elected, I cried that night,” Porter said. “Right now, I’m getting used to it. I would never have believed this would happen in my lifetime.

Even though Porter was touched by Obama’s inauguration, what he saw during the election celebration in Chicago impressed him more.

“To look at white people in that park in Chicago and see them crying touched me even more,” Porter said.

For Andre Thomas, 48, formerly a technical trainer at Coherent in Auburn, Obama’s election opens up new vistas. Thomas recently visited the Great Wall in China and walls were on his mind Tuesday.

“This is like a wall coming down,” Thomas said. “It’s like a visual wall, so people can now see beyond their own environment. There was a barrier before. I think a new frontier has opened up.”

His daughter Maya, 12, never knew that any wall existed.

“For her the election didn’t make a difference,” Thomas said. “For her the door was always open.”