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Asbury residents gathered in the Barack Obama Building today for a viewing party to celebrate two special occasions — Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the President’s second inauguration.

The coinciding of the two days “makes [the inauguration] even more special,” said Donald Hammary Jr., who was volunteering with the city’s Masonic Lodge. “It’s a special and unique day. It’ll never happen again.”

The viewing party was advertised with a composite photo made to look like Obama and King were giving each other a high five. Student volunteers Porscha Witherspoon, 15, and Tymirra Wheeler, 16, handed out T-shirts displaying the artwork.

Both were volunteering with the Keystone group, which is affiliated with the Boys and Girls Club of Asbury Park. Other Keystone members handed out refreshments.

“Instead of taking Martin Luther King Day as a day of leisure, we wanted to give back to the community,” Wheeler said.

Another young Asbury Park resident, Anthony Fraser, 12, got to see the inauguration firsthand thanks to a sponsorship from Rutgers University, said his mother, Laseana Scurry [pictured at right with younger sons Mirontae Harris, 5, and Basean Fraser, 9].

“I’m grateful to God because that’s an opportunity that most children in an urban area do not get,” she said of her son’s trip. “I’m ecstatic about it and I’m proud of him.”

Scurry has always supported Obama, she said, and came to today’s event to celebrate with her neighbors.

“There’s so much violence in the community,” she said. “To see positive things happening — I want to be a part of the positive and not part of the negative.”

The Barack Obama Building, formerly known as the Bangs Avenue School, was the first elementary school in New Jersey to be named after the current president. Then, changes in the city’s school district led to the shuttering of Barack H. Obama Elementary School. The Obama Building is now used primarily for school staff members and the Alternative School.

City resident Myra Campbell organized the effort to have the school renamed in 2010, approximately one year after Obama’s first inauguration.

A Democratic delegate for her voting district, Campbell attended the Democratic National Convention in Denver and was involved in grassroots campaigns for Obama. By collecting signatures and petitioning the board of education, Campbell saw to the rededication of the school.

“[Obama] and his wife believe very strongly in education,” Campbell said of her reason for wanting the school renamed, adding that Obama has school-aged daughters. “It’s only fitting to start at a young age where students are formative. You can mold and shape them and have them believe in themselves.”

Campbell was happy to see Obama reelected last year. She encourages fellow voters to “number one, agitate him, and number two, support him. Agitation makes politicians act.”

The West Side Community Center was one of the groups instrumental in planning the event.

“This is all about bringing this to the children so they can dream and be anything they want to,” said Lori Ross, chair of the Center’s board. “Today is all about the children and about them seeing that they can have the highest of dreams.”

Ross feels Obama is a good role model for parents as well as children.

“He makes sure that he spends time and eats dinner with his family,” Ross said. “That’s critical … Even though you have tremendously busy schedules, you leave some time for each other.”

Rev. Kevin Williams [pictured above, right], who works out of the Martin Luther King Presbyterian Church and is a teacher in the Asbury Park school district, was the keynote speaker of the day. He spoke of King’s contributions to America and ended his speech by encouraging listeners to make a difference in Asbury Park.

“Let us remember that today, we celebrate,” Williams said. “But tomorrow, we go to work.”

For a photo album of this event, click here.

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