Five local Arab American women watched history unfold Monday as they stood among nearly one million people in the nation’s capitol to witness U.S. President Barack Obama’s second swearing in ceremony. 

All of the women were members of the group Arab American Women for Obama, (AAWO) and include Jumana Judeh, president of Judeh and Associates; Fay Beydoun, the executive director of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce; Rose Khalifa, a registered nurse and the executive director of Metro Solutions, Renee Ahee, CEO and founder of Ahee Communications, and Zenna Faraj Elhasan, Wayne County corporation counsel.

AAWO was formed in 2012 in an effort to get Arab American women’s voices heard in the presidential election. The group mobilized women and got them politically active by forming telephone chains where one women would call an additional five women; held house gatherings where women invited friends and neighbors to discuss the election; and also made visits to community events, churches and mosques. The group’s committee even worked with representatives from the president’s campaign. 

The women were invited by the White House to attend the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Ball, with the president and First Lady Michelle Obama. They also went to the Michigan Ball, and were a select group of delegates from the 2012 Obama campaign to request and receive tickets to attend the swearing in ceremony; not all delegates who requested tickets received them.  

Rose Khalifa stands amid hundreds of thousands of Americans to watch President Obama give his inauguration speech.

The women’s trip to Washington speaks volumes about what local Arab American women are capable of when they get politically active, and rally behind a cause. 

“This was my first presidential inauguration, and one that I will never forget,” said Khalifa. 

Judeh says there were nearly 30,000 people at the Inaugural Ball. 

“The massive number of people at the presidential ball was unbelievable. Crowds gathered under large screens to watch what was taking place on stage. Yes I will admit the coverage on TV would have been better however with that said, attending the presidential ball should be one of those events you must do once in your lifetime. Now I can check that wish off my list,” Khalifa said. 

Judeh says standing amid the crowd of people at the swearing in ceremony was overwhelming, and that it was powerful to take part in the same chant with more than half a million people.  “I was buried in the middle, it’s a experience that’s very difficult to describe. I was so honored to attend and be a part of it,” Judeh said. 

Jumana Judeh (L), president of Judeh and Associates with Wayne County Corporation Counsel Zenna Faraj Elhasan.

Khalifa says the stress of navigating through a very congested city with numerous street closures was somewhat overwhelming but as they got closer to the Capitol the adrenaline started kicking in. As a nurse, Khalifa was concerned for the elderly and young people because of the cold weather. 

She says the security check point for the area on the Capitol lawn that they had tickets for ran into problems causing a crowd of thousands to stand idle in place for over 45 minutes and led Khalifa to become worried that she would miss the ceremony. 

“I got emotional and started crying when a lady from Algeria behind me screamed, ‘I am here….I was here’ as the crowd cheered the President walking out and we were just getting through security. We made a run to our section in time to witness history in the making,” Khalifa said. 

President Obama praised immigrants in his speech, acknowledged the nation’s diversity  and cited women as equal to men. “When he mentioned women as equals, and them getting equal pay, that really appealed to me as a professional working woman,” Judeh said. 

She says another important aspect of the president’s speech was the fact that he mentioned immigrants, and the nation’s diversity.  Judeh has always been drawn to the president, not because he has the same democratic values as her, but also his eagerness to reach out to immigrants and people of different ethnic backgrounds. “The speech showed he still connects with working class families, and is going to keep fighting for them,” she said. 

Khalifa said she was moved and humbled by the president’s consistent use of  “we, the people” to deliver key points. The president’s statement that “Our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts” is an indication that his second term will deliver historic and long overdue change. 

Fay Beydoun, the executive director of the American Arab Chamber Commerce, stands with Democratic Congressman John Dingell of Michigan at the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Ball. All five women were invited by the White House to attend, and also made a stop at the Michigan Ball.

Another moment that made her emotional was witnessing the president humbly look back, while walking into the capitol to savor the moment and scene of the people in attendence. President Obama’s words were captured by a nearby microphone, “I want to take a look one more time, I’m not going to see this again. It’s beautiful,” he said. 

Abed Ayoub, the legal director of the ADC Washington attended the first presidential inauguration for the president in 2009, and compared the two events.

 He says while there was a lot of energy this year, it wasn’t to the extent it was in 2009. He described the atmosphere as “business-like” saying that while people were celebrating there was still a great deal of focus placed on the challenges that lie ahead for the nation. 

“I was here in 2009, it was far more festive,” Ayoub said. 

He met with top government officials to discuss Arab and Muslim issues this week, and attended some of the inaugural celebrations.  

Since President Obama first took office, hate crimes against Muslims and Arab Americans have only increased. Ayoub says since then ADC has also witnessed a rise in cases, but says the president and his administration have made efforts to reach out to both communities. 

He says he looks forward to working with the Obama Administration to try and tackle some of the policies that undermine civil liberties.  “We want to keep engaging and trying to make changes that cut away from these polices,” Ayoub said.