"Inauguration Journey: Honoring Family"

REBECCE ROBERTS, host:

Now to the inaugural journey of Patricia Lowther. She's from Springfield, Virginia. Patricia and her mother both demonstrated in the March on Washington in 1963. Her mother didn't live to see Barack Obama run for president. But Patricia plans to honor her memory by bringing three pictures to the inauguration.

Ms. PATRICIA LOWTHER: One is them is of my great-grandmother, who was born here in Virginia in 1821, and was taken as a slave to South Carolina with the family that she actually stayed with all her life; and her son, my grandfather, who was born a slave; and then of my mom. And I think the three of them could never, ever imagine this person could be elected and would become president. I hope somewhere that they are looking, and I figured the best thing that I could do would be at least in spirit, they can be there, and the four of us will enjoy this event, and it will just be very, very special.

ROBERTS: You can see Patricia Lowther's three pictures, and catch up with other listener's inaugural journeys, on our Web site, npr.org.