Witnessing the 44th President of the United States of America being sworn in Tuesday afternoon was a bit emotional for friends Ben Cheney and David Goodman.
The two did not grow up together, but were united in one of the nation's worst hate crimes.
Each had a brother who was among three men shot and killed, then buried in an earthen dam in 1964. The story of the horrific tragedy was told in "Missippi Burning." The three victims were on a mission to register black voters in that state.
Now, nearly a half-century later, the country is introducing its first black president.
"Who would have believed that a black man would be in the White House?" Cheney asked.
Added Goodman: "I didn't think our country had it in it, and I was wrong."
Several law enforcement officials and members of the Ku Klux Klan were tried and convicted for conspiracy of the crimes, but served little time behind bars.
