Baby Steps to Mecca

Exactly one week ago, our 44th President was sworn into office. Around 10:30am on January 20, 2009, as Gregory, Darryll and I walked 8 blocks from my cousin’s house towards the Capitol, an overwhelming energy vibrated within each step. Energy that was sweet as much as bitter, happiness immersed with pain, and embracing never-before-felt senses. Observing every other brown face in the crowd was proof that the hypocrisies of the United States have been turned upside down. What has been conditioned throughout history and through past actions are no longer as valid. We are being reprogrammed and along with this awareness a new individual within each of us emerges. "Being here right now is as close as America is ever going feel of a utopian society," is what sister Cat reiterated.

Walking amongst crowds of millions of Americans to watch this defining moment was more bold in feeling than the action that was to occur at noon. Listening to people’s conversations, commentary and opinions confirmed that we were already witnessing a unique kind of grassroots movement that has yet to be defined. Right now we are at the beginning stages of recognizing our new selves under this new movement and what's left are new forms of action.

As parent’s lifted their children on their shoulders in Washington Mall, as individuals climbed trees & port-o-potties to catch a better view, as helicopters hovered over the Washington Monument, as people stood on their tippy toes to catch a 1/8th view of the jumbo screens, as millions of people were packed shoulder to shoulder between the Washington monument and the steps of the Capitol, as text messages delayed, Darryll, Gregory and I couldn’t help but to look at each other as we shared this surreal moment, “Is this really happening? Are we really here?”

During the opening prayer, the tears began to fall. Amongst crowds of millions it was silent and the thousands of people within my 30 feet radius all bowed their heads as the prayer continued. In unison, each person was paying their respects in different ways. What thoughts were running through each person's mind? What did the aerial view look like from above? What were Sasha and Malia thinking? (And how RAD would it be to say “Yeah, my dad is Barack Obama and he’s about to be President.”) Observing each person’s face in the crowd evoked anxiousness which in turn, forced me to put my camera down and just breath in this once-in-a-lifetime moment with layered meanings. But most importantly, a moment of new realizations about ourselves as a global community.

As the Inaugural ceremony continued, so did stages of awareness. If I were to say that this country has acted hypocritically in the past, then I must admit my own hypocrisies…an advocate for community with exclusive tendencies; a fan of direct communication guilty of passive aggressive moments; a person with strong verbal messages and not always actions to back it up. And with this evolving awareness, where does that leave us?

It’s a lot to process and at the same time, it’s more simple than we want to admit. This moment makes each of us look in the mirror in an original way. Our quest for honest self-awareness leads to evolving community awareness which leads to more critical thought of our immediate environments which will, in turn, evoke new strategies for action. Is America ready for this new movement? January 20th was the first step.