OK, OK. I'm back at it. I know you've missed me. And my daily musings about whatever the heck is rattling around in my brain.
The past two weeks have been weird. Is that an understatement?
I'm trying to avoid politics in my blog so I've only written a couple of times since the 6th. Can you blame me? Sheesh.
Alas, we're back. What do you want to talk about? Michelle Obama's bangin' belt? Lady Gaga and J-Lo's vivifying voices? Amanda Gorman's captivating composition? Let's go with the last one.
I was reminded last night of my proximity to Washington, DC when the fireworks took place at the end of the "Celebrating America" show that was put on. Katy Perry was slated to perform her song "Firework" though to be perfectly honest it didn't occur to me that it would be the last performance of the night. In hindsight it was kind of a "duh" moment because of course they'd do fireworks last.
We'd watched pretty much the entire program of events of Inauguration Day, starting around 10:30am. We took a break between 6 and 8pm to work out, eat dinner, and watch an episode of Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu.
So a few minutes before 10pm, Katy comes on for her performance. As soon as they introduced her and the name of the song it dawned on me that fireworks were in store. I thought maybe the fireworks would be at the end of the song so I asked my partner if we should hop in the car and drive to the bridge to see if we could watch, but as I was saying that I started hearing loud booms in the distance and I realized they'd already started.
The TV was on a delay so we heard them through the window for about 10 or 15 seconds before they started on TV. We are, as the crow flies, just under 5 miles from the National Mall in Alexandria, right on the 395 corridor. Even though it was an impressive fireworks show I was still surprised we could hear them so clearly.
So, it just hit me that, wow, we are close to DC. I mean I knew that. Just the traffic around here is a daily reminder. But sometimes it's easy to forget why we're so close to DC.
I moved here for a few reasons. The main one is that I wanted to do nonprofit work and, well, DC is the epicenter for that. The second is that two of my best friends live here and five years ago I was in a place where I needed to be near my friends. So DC was the logical choice. Thankfully my partner works nearby and doesn't want a long commute so we chose Alexandria.
So here I am. Living in Alexandria, VA, less than 5 miles from where some of the most powerful and influential people in the world do their work. Trying to make my mark while surrounded by a million other people who moved here with similar goals and aspirations.
It truly is an amazing and inspiring place to be.
If you didn't watch yesterday's festivities then you missed out. I mentioned some of the highlights: Michelle, Amanda, Lady G & J-Lo. Other highlights were the purple outfits, Officer Eugene Goodman escorting Kamala Harris, The Black Pumas, and, of course, Bernie's gloves.
My favorite part of the day, though, was Amanda Gorman's poem. It was peaceful and powerful, empathetic and impassioned, retrospective and proactive. The lines that stuck out to me:
It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit, it’s the past we step into and how we repair it We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy And this effort very nearly succeeded But while democracy can be periodically delayed it can never be permanently defeated In this truth in this faith we trust For while we have our eyes on the future history has its eyes on us
I have long struggled with my identity as an American. Like the first line states, it's something I inherited, not necessarily decided or earned. I hate some of the things our forefathers did to other human beings, but we can't go back in time, right? So let's make sure we don't repeat that.
She reminds me that we seek to be free and in that I can agree, and while I try to see, what lies ahead in the grass, I'd be remiss if I didn't remember what has come to pass - lest it bite me in the ass. OK, that's a silly way to sum up those lines, but it's true. Our forefathers, in spite of all of the objectively awful things they did, owning people and decimating the indigenous, created and defined this country as a free land and it is our inheritance to make better, not take for granted.
The last line, "history has its eyes on us" is from Hamilton, the Musical. The song is from George Washington's vantage point and references how he wishes he'd known more before going into battle. How he made mistakes and had to live with them.
Gorman's poem references how we are, even today, Jan 21, 2021, looking toward a better future, but that we must remember the mistakes that led us to this. We must remember the mistakes we made that led to the events of Jan 6 and the mistakes before that have let this nation get to this point.
It was not just the words of the poem that were striking, but the eloquence of her delivery and the poise which she carried that vaulted her words. Amanda Gorman is the epitome of what it means to be a strong, Black woman in this country and her words filled me with pride as I watched and listened, with another strong, Black woman behind her; that being Kamala Harris.
The last lines of the poem go like this:
The new dawn blooms as we free it For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it If only we’re brave enough to be it.
I couldn't be more excited to be part of this America - one where, less than 5 miles away from me, some of the most colorful, diverse, brilliant, and inspiring people in the world seek to be a brave light that moves us forward.
Which brings me to my last point.
I came across a Medium article this morning by Ijeoma Oluo referencing her book Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America. I read the foreword which talked about how she was inspired to write the book after hearing Sarah Hagi's words: "Lord, give me the confidence of a mediocre white man."
I haven't decided if I will buy the book yet - not because I do or don't want to read it - more because I'm lazy and reading books is hard. But I might institute a challenge going forward of reading a book per month and writing a blog about it - maybe Oluo's will be my first.
Part of the foreword goes like this,
"I'm not talking about something bland and harmless... I am talking about how we somehow agreed that wealthy white men are the best group to bring us prosperity, when their wealth was stolen from our labor. I am talking about how aggression equals leadership and arrogance equals strength - even if those white male traits harm themselves and the kingdom they hope to rule."
I think this is one of the best and most succinct ways I have seen this put, and it's something that I try and take into consideration on a regular basis.
There's nothing inherently wrong with being mediocre. Or above or below it, for that matter. People are who they are.
But there is something wrong with being mediocre and fancying yourself a master of the universe. The problem for white men is we see ourselves in EVERYTHING. When we are constantly persuaded that we deserve something because we look like someone else who has it, we think that we ourselves have earned it.
And, what's more, some of us who have gone through a bit of strife think that overcoming a small hardship means we've earned the right to be at the top. It doesn't. Coming from a small town and humble beginnings and "pulling myself up by my bootstraps" or "being a hard worker" doesn't mean I've earned a place at the top. If every single hard worker deserved a place at the top, there would be no one at the bottom.
When I look at the angry, white men (and women) who stormed the Capitol not but a few miles from my home, I see average people who think they have earned something by being born here. By being born a white American they should have all the things that they see other powerful white men have.
They don't realize that they didn't earn it. They simply inherited a dangerous mindset and don't know what to do with it.
As I continue to live in a place that is defined by a large group of colorful, brilliant, and inspirational people who seek to create impact in this world I will strive to bring value that is not my white face and skin. My words and actions are what will define me and I will continue to try and make those words and actions valuable. I'll learn from my past and apply it to make a better future.
I listed a few of the people I saw on TV yesterday. Men and women of color, from all different backgrounds. They didn't look like me. They were all people who earned their place, who fought through hardships some of us would think unimaginable, and who will be some of the first faces that the next generation will see in the most powerful and influential city in the world. And I simply hope I'm there to be part of it.
We will rebuild, reconcile and recover and every known nook of our nation and every corner called our country, our people, diverse and beautiful will emerge.
Thanks kj! I’m glad it was able to reach you!
Beautifully written ❤️