01.20.2009 1:45 pm
East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks: A mile away was close enough
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Parks
WASHINGTON — East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks and his wife, JoAnne, never got within a mile of the stage at the inauguration, but he didn’t seem to mind.
“To be surrounded by people from across the United States — whites, Asians, Latinos and African Americans — all coming together and excited about a new leader was a tremendous day for the country,” he said.
“A spirit of unification swept Washington D.C. and hopefully the United States of America,” Parks said. ”It was a fantastic day. This was truly Amercian history. It was also African-American history. I have a feeling the shackles have completely been removed.”
Doug Moore has been a reporter with the Post-Dispatch since February 2000. For the last two years, he has covered diversity and demographics. 
