Community Coalition organized an inauguration viewing party at the James A. Foshay Learning Center for kindergarteners through high school seniors as well as locals who wanted to take in the historic event with members of their community.

"Today we wanted to do the celebration of Barack Obama’s presidency, his inauguration here at Foshay because this is an area that is rich in diversity with African Americans and Latinos," said Aurea Montes-Rodriguez, the Senior Strategic Projects Director for the coalition."It has lots of good assets and important assets like Foshay Learning Center and we want to focus in our organizing resources in this school to create a transformative change in this community."

Community Coalition’s mission is to improve the economic and social conditions in South LA through community organizing events such as the inauguration viewing party.  Good.

The area around Foshay, near the intersection of Exposition and Harvard Boulevards, is home to many African Americans and Latinos. People in attendance said that seeing a man of color become President of the United States of America made it possible for them to tell their children and grandchildren that anything is possible and to actually believe and have a tangible example of change and progress.

"It’s hard to believe(anything is possible) until you actually see that something is possible like this, that this time America chose a president based on the connection that they had with him not because he was white, and not because he was black just because we make a connection , " said Foshay Principal Veronique Wills. "That’s what’s significant and that’s what I want the kids to see."

The students and other party attendees said that they hoped Obama keeps his promise to promote change across the country and specifically his pledge to help the underprivileged and the poor.

 "For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies, "said Obama in his inaugural address.

One Foshay student said this part of the speech resonated with him and he understood that he and other members of the community need to be responsible for making a change on a local level.

"We cannot put all our expectations onto (Obama). My expectations are for him to help us, to guide us positively so we can create change here." said high school senior Richard Aviles .

Obama’s message struck the same chord with people from previous generations as it did with youth. Many of them remembered the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as they listened to Obama speak and said that they see him as a catalyst for the next generation.

"It comes to mind you judge a person not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character and so by him coming out and saying ‘I can, I can,’ ‘change change’ those words and that phrase has taken a whole new life," said 50-year-old South LA resident Dolores Moore. "It’s sparking the people and they’re taking on the energy ‘ I can, I can’ of having hope instead of despair. Not saying that he can make changes, not saying that he has all the answers, not saying all of that, but just creating that spark and that flame."

That spark and that flame is what many of the people in attendance said Obama ignites in them. The students said that he made them want to strive to be as successful as him and to aspire to the heights that he has reached and they believe they can do it based on his success.

"When it comes down to it, we can do anything that we want to do, and we can be anybody that we want to be and even though we’re in a bad community something good can come out of it and Barack Obama is a symbol of that." said high school senior Jeffreda Clarke.