JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – From restaurants to barber shops to high schools, eyes across Northeast Florida were on Washington, D.C., Friday as Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States.
Students at Bishop Kenny High School got a lesson about the process behind the transfer of presidential power, and many said learning about the democratic process is important to them because they want to be ready to take on the responsibility of voting when they turn 18.
“It's one of the greatest honors you can have as an American citizen,” Bishop Kenny junior Kelly Vohr said. “And if you're not well-informed, if you don't understand the whole process, if you don't understand that you are an actual part of picking the president, you won't pick the right person for president."
The crowd at Mudville Grille in St. Nicholas certainly thinks the country got it right this time.
The Republican Party of Duval County hosted a large inauguration watch party early Friday afternoon, and a few dozen supporters filled the restaurant waiting to hear from President Trump for the first time as Commander in Chief.
The buzz across town at Just Cut Loose barber shop on Fort Caroline Road was also about the new leader of the free world.
“Some people are with him, some people are not. Some people speak on it, some people don't. To me, it's not a race thing, or a color thing. We just have to give the guy a chance and see what he's going to do first. We don't know,” said Gordon Polite.
Polite said that when talk at the barber shop turns to politics, he’s thankful it’s an open conversation.
“We joke about it. We laugh. People make comments, but in this spot we are in, we have to do that,” he said. “We have to stay professional. That's what this is all about.”
Many agreed that it was an historic day, no matter what someone's politics might be, as the peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next continued its cycle.
Every American History class at Bishop Kenny aired the inauguration, and it was even on in the cafeteria.
"You need to be able to see history to understand it,” said Vohr, who proudly supported Trump. "I was so excited to see him because I just know he can bring change, and it's going to be a new, fresh America for us."
At the barber shop, Polite said his community has to focus on the bigger picture.
“The world is going to take care of itself,” Polite said. “We can't do anything about that. That is on a plane that we can't see.”
Muslim community anxious for future
In other areas of Jacksonville's community, the inauguration brought a mixed bag of emotions.
Many in the Muslim community expressed concern about what’s next after their religion was sometimes singled out by Trump during the campaign.
VIDEO: Inauguration brings mixed emotions for Muslim community
Dr. Parvez Ahmed, a UNF professor and member of Jacksonville’s Human Rights Commission, said that as a Muslim, he’s heard his community's fears, after Trump made several comments about the religion while on the campaign trail.
“(There's) tremendous anxiety, tremendous concern, tremendous fear, partly because of the uncertainty,” Ahmed said.
There are tens of millions of Muslims in the U.S., and thousands in Jacksonville. It’s a diverse group with different political viewpoints, but as a whole, according to the Muslims who spoke to News4Jax, there is anxiety and concern about a Trump presidency.
Trump has backed down from some of his earlier statements about Muslims, and Friday afternoon, he called for unity.
“Whether we are black, or brown, or white, we all bleed the same blood of patriots,” Trump said.
Abu Bakr, an adviser with UNF’s Muslim Student Association, said he’s hoping for the best and is optimistic that Trump and his staff will have everyone’s best interest at heart.
“I'm hoping that a lot of the negative rhetoric that is targeting minorities in the United States was just campaign talk and was not something that's actually going to be applied in the way that it was said,” Bakr said. “I am willing to give him a chance because he said a lot of things that are positive in his inaugural address, which I watched. He talked about building up America, addressing many of the concerns that Americans have and need to be addressed, so I'm hopeful that he will build on that and try to unite the country instead of divide it.”
Inauguration celebrations held Friday night
In addition more than a dozen inaugural balls to take place Friday evening in Washington, there were several celebrations in Northeast Florida.
The First Coast Inaugural Celebration Ball was held at the University of North Florida's Adam W. Herbert University Center.
State Rep. Cord Byrd as well as Jacksonville City Councilmen Danny Becton and Aaron Bowman were in attendance.
Many people also gathered for an inauguration party at Whisky Jax in Jacksonville Beach.