Inauguration Ride

So a few days back I was talking to my best friend from high school who now lives in Philly with her husband and daughter and we were talking about the DNC and Obama's amazing speech and all the reactions of the people in the audience as well as our own reactions. She told me that if Obama won, that Francis and I should come to Philly so that we could drive to DC and witness the inauguration. This possibility had never even occurred to me but I was thrilled at the idea. Imagine that! I mean really! I get excited just thinking about it. I don't think I'd be able to hold back the tears of joy and pride and every indistinguishable emotion in between. And the photo ops! Forget about it! I told her I was totally down.

Later on this week I spoke to another one of my good friends who I attended Bard College with. In fact Ben is one of the only friends at Bard I have kept in touch with over the years. I'm really glad he called me because I had been thinking about him and how shameful it was that we hadn't seen each other all summer. I was very interested in what he had to say about the DNC. He is way more politically active and politically versed than I and has followed the Democratic party and their presidential campaigns since he was very young. He's also one of my closest Caucasian friends. I am am African American in case I haven't mentioned that yet. Ben is a huge fan of Jesse Jackson and regularly recites parts of his presidential speech from the 80's by heart. He told me long ago before the party nominations were won that he didn't think white people wanted to see a black man as their president in that usually decidedly factual way that most people do when they think they know what the they know based on what they've heard and seen. Now he is more gung ho about Obama than I ever thought he would be! Not just Obama but his whole family and his campaign team! His enthusiasm about Obama and his electability is a complete 360 degree turn from where is was last year! He is 110% on board!

Then it began to occur to me that a whole bunch of people I know might want to go to this inauguration when (that's right I said when) Obama wins. Tony, Shaherah, Ben, Francis, Peggy... Why not make it a trip, rent a bus or something? This would be a monumental occasion far beyond anything I or anyone I know could even begin to describe! But I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm not the best at planning these things (hint hint Shaherah!) and I'm sure there will be millions of people with the same idea when Barack wins, but I know one thing. I will be there. Nothing will stop me.