A few short years ago, I imagine that any of the several thousands of people gathered at Hart plaza could have met Barack Obama at a reading or book signing for his 1996 work "The Audacity of Hope". Then again, a few short years ago, Barack Obama was not the Democractic party's nominee for President of the united states.
I arrived about an hour and a half before Obama was supposed to speak at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit. That was not nearly early enough to see the man in person. What I instead found was a lineup that wrapped up and down and all around several of the blocks that surrounded Hart Plaza, as thousands of people gathered to see the man that just might be the next President of the united states.
The line stretched on into the distance and continued to grow long after the people arriving had given up any hope of making their way into Hart Plaza. Most of us, myself included, ended up watching the short speech that was given on a jumbotron style screen outside of nearby Cobo hall. None of the people I talked to seemed to mind too much. There was a feeling that the people gathered there, of all races, but predominately African American, where there as much in a sign of solidarity and support of their candidate as to see the man himself.
Obama spoke for less than ten minutes, eschewing political talk in favor of a heartfelt prayer for the people of Louisiana who have been evacuated under the gun of the second major storm in as many years, hurricane Gustav. With a few more words of solidarity, Obama departed just as quickly as he'd arrived. The crowd seemed a little surprised, but not overly disappointed. The people had come to see their candidate and they had seen him. The gathered masses made for their cars taking little time to reflect on the moment that had come and gone so quickly. A few of them, myself included, headed for the renaissance center's food court for food, drinks, and a brief respite from the 85 degree weather that was compounded by the heat of so many people packed into such a small area.
By the time I'd finished my burger and walked back out into the summer heat, it seemed that all the people had disappeared. What remained was a Jazz Festival with a moderate attendance, and a strange quiet that often follows such events when the energy and enthusiasm builds into a crescendo and then almost instantly dissipates as the event comes to a close.
In the after math I pondered the day's events, as I looked at the empty plaza that had been so full before. It is impossible to explain the feeling of these days for many of America's citizens. It is impossible even to comprehend the historical magnitude of what we are experiencing, while we are numbed by the immediacy of the moment. But I remember watching the elderly couple that stood in line in front of me. And I realized that they were old enough to remember Brown vs. the Board of Education. Old enough to have marched with and heard Martin Luther King Jr. Speak in person. They were old enough to have been turned away from restaurants, public bathrooms and drinking fountains in the "whites only" era. Now here they were, watching a person of color standing just one step away from being President of the United States. And I realized I had no way of knowing what it was like to experience that kind of change in a single lifetime.
So now I and the rest of the nation will watch and wait. I thought back to that couple and the moment when someone else in line pondered whether or not we would make it to the end of the lineup in time to catch Obama's speech. The elderly woman said with confidence, "don't worry, he'll wait for us."
And why not, after all we've waited a long time for him.
One of the things that I realized when I went to Hart Plaza to see Obama, was that downtown Detroit is a much more beautiful place than I remembered. I took a bunch of pictures, which, instead of blabbing about, I'm going to let do their own talking. Hope you all enjoy them!
In the after math I pondered the day's events, as I looked at the empty plaza that had been so full before. It is impossible to explain the feeling of these days for many of America's citizens. It is impossible even to comprehend the historical magnitude of what we are experiencing, while we are numbed by the immediacy of the moment. But I remember watching the elderly couple that stood in line in front of me. And I realized that they were old enough to remember Brown vs. the Board of Education. Old enough to have marched with and heard Martin Luther King Jr. Speak in person. They were old enough to have been turned away from restaurants, public bathrooms and drinking fountains in the "whites only" era. Now here they were, watching a person of color standing just one step away from being President of the United States. And I realized I had no way of knowing what it was like to experience that kind of change in a single lifetime.
I have three certificates and two demo reels to show for it. Not a bad haul for a year and a half's work, I think.
