Actor Denzel Washington says, 'we waited a long time'

The actor said Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th US president was a tribute to the sacrifices of civil rights activists who went before him.

Denzel Washington, the actor who helped shape the image of the modern African-American on the big screen, Tuesday said Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th US president was a tribute to the sacrifices of civil rights activists who went before him.

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"We waited a long time to get here, but we have to be involved. It's about all of us," Washington told reporters.

He was among the 240,000 VIPs waiting in minus-five-degree Celsius temperatures near the steps of the US Capitol, where Obama, 47, was sworn in as US president at 1700 GMT.

"There's been a lot of change to lead to this moment. Many came before him, made sacrifices for this day to happen. It's for them," the 54-year-old Oscar winning actor said.