Split Decision

The day began with a terrific breakfast downstairs. We ate with a guy from Oakland and chatted with another family from New Orleans. The energy everywhere was electric with excitement and anticipation. People were friendly, wanting to talk and share their stories.

Tiff's sorority's headquarters are here in town and they planned a day of service. She and Renee headed to Dupont Circle to be a part of that, while Forrest, Jannie and I went to the Mall. (We traveled by car part way, then we took the Metro, the subway system. This reminded me so much of New York because we were crowded in like sardines. It was thistight!).

Now remember, Tiff and I had gone to the Mall on Saturday when it was bitterly cold and there were about three folks our there; OK, maybe 103, but still, the numbers were shockingly low. Well, today was a different story. There were tons of people . . . hundreds, probably thousands. But again, it was an electric crowd. The streets were lined with huge busses that were transporting people to and fro. People everywhere were giddy with excitement. Everyone we came in contact with were polite; there were lots of smiles, and nods of acknowledgement.

Just like the crowd in Chicago on Nov. 4th, this group was incredibly eclectic. I was moved by the number of older folks I saw, particularly older African-Americans. But there were tons of young folks - black, white, Asian, Hispanic, hippies, conservatives, bikers, kids who looked like gang members, etc. We met school groups galore. Although I was touched by the presence, I know how stressful watching all those kids were for the adults with them, so I was glad to be kid-free for this event.

As we walked the Mall, we tried to plan where we were going to try and be tomorrow, but again, there is no way to know how many people to expect, so true to our theme for this trip, "we're going with the flow." Everything will be fine and we'll have a fantastic time. That is our mantra, and so far, it's been more than true.

Tiff will add her comments when she arrives. Of course, I'm headed to bed. It's 8:30 here, so I'm running late. :) (I realize for sure now that a party animal I am not!)

Hi, it's me Tiff- it is 10 minutes to midnight! I just got back to the room. Today was a "day on" not a "day off" so I went to participate in the activities- it was so wonderful to be in the National Headquarters of Delta Sigma Theta. I actually ran into one of my "sands" there had no idea she would be here- so that was fantastic! After leaving the headquarters we headed to my "hang-out spot" with Whit... the Grand Hyatt. She was with her students so I ordered room service and waited for her. My godbrother, Brent came into the city to see me and my Aunt Brenda and Uncle Sammy came too- they have tickets for tomorrow. We hung out for a while.

So Shana... more about Hill Harper. While hanging out in the lobby, Renee took a picture with him. After strong encouragement from me from afar. It has been a long day and if I am going to do what I came here to do, I must go to bed. Sorry pictures will be posted tomorrow. Much too tired. If I had a tooth brush I would have stayed with Whit tonight!
One more thing, the nice guy Faye mentioned we met at breakfast I ran into him again in the city, @ Whit's hotel and he was just as charming as before. Yes- the people have arrived and are embracing everyone and this moment in history with the love that Dr. King had his DREAM about all of those years ago. This is a wonderful experience, I really do hope you all can feel it through this blog.

All is well here- having a wonderful time!