Dressed to impress and feeling victorious, more than 400 people came out on a cold January 21 night to enjoy an “Evening of Elegance” at the 2013 Central New York Presidential Inaugural Gala at the Syracuse OnCenter. Hosted by 1199SEIU, the inaugural gala was designed to celebrate the re-election of President Obama and honor the life and dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and to thank 1199 members and Central New York’s devoted volunteers for their hard work during the election season.



"A lot of people have a lot invested in this president, in this election,” said community activist Robert Sykes, a vice-president of 100 Black Men, which co-sponsored the Inaugural Ball. “They were not able to attend the inaugural in Washington D.C. for schedule or economic reasons, so this gives them a great opportunity to participate.”



With an array of food, live music by Brownskin, and streaming video of the official Inaugural Ball in Washington, participants felt as if they were celebrating in the same room as the President himself.



“I think it’s a good way to bring a national election home to the community,” said Marty Liquori, union chairman for the maintenance and clerical division at Crouse Hospital. “The hard work we put in and the votes that we cast did make a difference.”



Partygoers included Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner, NY Assemblymembers Sam Roberts and Al Stirpe, County Legislator Monica Williams and many other local elected and community leaders.



1199 also hosted inaugural galas Rochester and Buffalo.