'' Irene Koehler of Fremont , California , said of the atmosphere in Oakland 's Oracle Arena . More than 200 parishioners from the First AME Church , the largest African-American Church in Los Angeles , gathered in the recreation hall to pray together and share in the excitement of an historic moment Dressed in Obama shirts and hats , the level of audience participation had the effect of transporting the crowd to Washington . They stood when Sen. Dianne Feinstein asked the crowd to `` please stand '' and bowed their heads in prayer . They sang along with Aretha Franklin and even took pictures of the screen when Obama appeared . A handful of viewers had tears in their eyes , but most were filled with `` pure joy . '' `` On Election Night , I was full of tears . I am all cried out -- it is all about joy now , '' said 72-year-old Shirley Turner-Haymer , the granddaughter of a former slave . Even young parishioners derived some significance from the event . `` It 's really inspirational that we have a black president now ... because now I could see I can
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Friends and strangers across the country gathered on the streets and in schools , churches , bars and auditoriums to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama as the first African-American president of the United States . A diverse crowd in Los Angeles , California , cheers as Barack Obama takes the oath of office Tuesday . `` It 's a great day to be an American , '' iReporter Roger Germann said at Chicago 's Shedd Aquarium , where revelers watched the inauguration on television monitors among exhibits of sharks and otters . Tuesday 's inauguration brought together Americans from different walks of life , united in their hope that Obama will deliver on his promise to change the nation 's course . Click the links to read views on President Obama 's inauguration from people across the country . Reaction to speech What Obama means to Americans Hopes for Obama Reaction to speech Public inauguration-viewing parties were held in auditoriums , schools and arenas across the country , where the atmosphere mirrored the excitement in Washington . Watch people react at viewing parties '' `` People are cheering here as if they were there ,