Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Richmond, Virginia last night


Shortly after 11pm, after CNN had called the election and announced that Virginia was going for Barack, I got phone calls from my two sons. The first called from Clemson, South Carolina to let me know that "we'd won." We talked a bit about South Carolina and how eventually, they'd get there too.

My other son called from Richmond, where he's a student at Virginia Commonwealth University, and he told me that the students there were flooding the streets, singing, yelling, beeping car horns, setting off fireworks, etc. A half hour later he called me to let me know that he was in the middle of an impromptu parade, that they'd shut down six lanes of traffic on Broad Street, and were marching together toward the Capitol. When they got there, the crowd stopped and sang The Star Spangled Banner.

The significance of this celebration, in Richmond, in the state of Virginia, where our nation was founded, in a city that was built on the slave trade and slave labor in the tobacco plantations of the Old Dominion, was almost overwhelming. Nick said, "We've come full circle."

2 comments:

allie mctaco said...

last night is certainly a moment to celebrate, it's truly time for change in america. when i came into work today individuals had smiles and a newfound hope for themselves and this country (amidst all the layoff talk going on at my company)...

thought you might like this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BY0NSfst9g

1.20.09 is just around the corner....

-allie :)

Pam J. said...

Ain't it grand? I'm still not sure I believe it. So happy that both of your boys got to participate in a true people's celebration! And all of us (even those who are sulking today) owe you a big thanks because you worked hard and were always so positive.