I’m flying back across the US and trying to come down from a huge high. This time yesterday I was standing in a throng of millions of people. Young, old, American, and those from other far reaching points of the world. I considered this to be the most beautiful moment I have ever witnessed in my 24 short years of a pretty great life. I am swallowing back tears writing this and the only reason I resist is because I don’t particularly want to be the one that my fellow passengers go home and refer to as crazy girl who was crying by herself on the plane. No thanks.
I didn’t sleep at all the night before Inauguration. Typical for an insomniac I suppose, but I compulsively looked at my cell phone all night to make sure I wouldn’t miss my alarm, in the event that I would be counting any sheep. Finally, father time put me out of my misery and digitally delivered 5:30 AM on my Blackberry screen. Freaking finally.
After putting on a gazillion layers, the four of us headed out to catch the bus. By a sheer act of fate that the universe loved me (a far cry from the previous day, self-induced, I admit), we caught a free un-crowded bus that took us from Shirlington (in Virginia) to just three blocks away from the National Mall. The transportation gods however, would not display the same mercy on us after Inauguration. More on that in a later entry.
The sun hadn’t quite woken up by the time we’d arrived which was a little before 7AM. I am not good at guesstimating temperatures, nor am I excited to debate how cold it may be when I’m experiencing such harsh conditions. Since exposing myself from these conditions I’ve heard from a few news reports, family members, and my two-million closest friends for the day, we were in the frosty neighborhood of 10 degrees with wind chill. I imagine myself sweating upon my arrival into Portland because it will probably be in the 40’s. Home sweet home.
Not everyone is aligned with my let’s-not-talk-about-how-freaking-cold-it-is mentality. In fact, everyone preferred to do quite the opposite. The Jumbotrons plastered information on how to know if you are experiencing hypothermia and/or frostbite, so that was optimistic. Chicago lady who seriously was the most annoying person I’ve ever come into contact with, decided it would be a good idea to complain about EVERYTHING. I was silently wishing that she’d be the one to endure frostbite and have to leave so I didn’t have to listen to it for the next 5 hours. Example: “It’s only 7? You mean we still got 3 hours before ANYTHING starts?”
When God didn’t grant me this, I figured it had been a pretty spectacular year already being that I was lucky enough to be freezing at the National Mall awaiting for history to transpire before my eyes. Can’t have it all, I guess.
We made some friends outside of Chicago-lady-I-hoped-would-suffer-from-frostbite. We had San Diego guy who apparently was never visiting the East coast again in the winter, cute New York guy, as my friend penned him, and older guy who came solo and I loved him for it. For coming solo and for his sporadic “Oh yeah! Wooh!” that he repeated. Seriously, it was so precious.
As much fun as it is to reminisce the waiting, I think I’ll just get to the good part…the reason this group of strangers were suddenly crammed like a can of “Chicken of the Sea” together. Obama. Let me preface this with the fact that I had begun crying Monday night. These tears were born in pure happiness, anticipation, and disbelief of what was happening to this beautiful country. These tears were born in disgust of the treatment, no, brutality that my ancestors beared; being manacled as they were brought to America not as human beings, but as animals. These tears were born in the tears that my grandmothers both internally shed when they were turned away at diners, grocery stores, drinking fountains in the ugly segregated South. These tears were born in my sincere gratitude and admiration that I hold toward my parents when they had to figure out a way to fill my brother and my bellies without either of us knowing any of the wiser. These tears were born in the success I have been so blessed to be able to achieve because of all these struggles; A 24 African-American woman with a Master’s degree and a great job. Okay, there goes my crying rule on a plane. Let them talk about me.
The only word that comes to mind besides the overly clichéd cool, calm, and collected phrase that I could think of when I first saw Obama gliding his way through the capitol was badass. This actually was happening. Then the waterworks began and didn’t yield until Bush descended from the capitol steps. I did for a nanosecond feel sorry for the guy when the crowd erupted into chants of “nah-nah-nah, hey-hey-hey, goodbye!” I did not participate. It was finally OUR day and whatever Bush may have severely damaged while in office, the pain he has caused people worldwide, and the true in competencies he displayed, he’s gone now. It is our turn now and it’s not likely we can go back in time to 2000 and do the right thing in Florida and put Gore in office. What’s done is done and we are moving on. Farewell G Dub.
There was a lull between introducing Biden, Michelle Obama, the girls, and President Bush before Obama came out the closed doors. Then a 1600 volt of electricity surged through the crowd and it was no longer cold. American flags waved, screams deafened, numbed feet left the mall ground. Spectacular. There really is no other word to describe the intensity and emotion of that moment. Obama has said “this is our moment” for the last 22 months and here it was. Spectacular. Just the way I hoped it would feel when I first became an Obama supporter in January of 2008 after his New Hampshire primary speech. Here are people who might have never even purchased an American flag, granted these ones were free, that were now waving them with toothy grins spread across their faces and literally were risking hypothermia and/or frostbite to see Barack Hussein Obama II become our 44th President. I believe our American dream has been restored and our American pride unearthed. Dr. King, your dream is manifesting. We are at the peak of the mountaintop and I think Obama will help us weather the storms that may come our way that tries to blow us back down.
Together...YES WE CAN.
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