Martin Luther King, Jr. Day DC Style, First Group Outing!

I woke myself up early today to get on a bus to go hear Colman McCarthy present a nonviolent talk to some high schoolers in Carnegie Institution, but I missed my stop, because it was different than what was on WMATA. So I rode a little while longer, wistfully thinking that I would come to the stop that would lead me in the right direction. Never happened. Instead, a very sweet African lady sat across from me for awhile, and asked me what I was writing. "Arr you wriTing about da ciTy?" Her accent was quite beautiful, although I had a hard time catching what she was saying the first time she said it. (I was writing a letter to Zach at the time.) I ended up getting off at McPherson Square, and rode the Redline back home with my tail in between my legs. I totally forgot I had a map in my purse.
I helped Lindsay make brunch for the guys and Christa who waited in line for the tickets we got for our outing. I made eggs--with onions, pepper, deli turkey (hey, it's what's in the fridge), and cheddar cheese. I didn't have any of it though--I'm still working the vegetarian thing, so I had some sunny-side-up eggs. Which wasn't as fun tonight when they made Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts, and all that we had was Spaghetti. But I still love those guys. They are amazing cooks!

It was this morning when we started getting excited for the concert we were going to. The guys and Christa got back with all ten tickets (though they said the line was insane, and they were glad they got there when they did), and they said the secret service were all up in there, and so I googled the event, and read that the Obamas were supposed to be there, along with the obvious India.Arie, and the Let Freedom Ring Choir. The fact that I was going to get to see Obama for the first time in person made me really excited.
Because of our hectic schedule, we had to eat supper really early--4:00, and then hustle everyone out of the house and get to the Metro and catch the Redline to the Metro Center and head to Foggy Bottom. Everyone was dressed up--some to the nines, some to the eighties, but anyways, we all looked nice as we speed-walked to the metro station. We caught the 4:49 train and got to Foggy bottom with lots of time to spare. To our delight and convenience, there was a shuttle directly to the Kennedy center waiting for us when we got there, and although some of us had to stand and hold on for dear life on the two minute ride there (my balance is getting a lot better), it was a lot nicer than attempting to navigate where we were going from Sanj's phone.
We were directed nicely through the standby line because we had our friends wait in line earlier in the day--it was such a nice way to go to an event, though watching people wait in line to get in was slightly difficult. But there are always two sides of each event. We walked and talked and soon we were in our seats--we were in the first tier, Row A. A good view of the middle of the stage, but the podium was off to the side, closer to us, so we had to lean out in order to see what was going on.

There were several introductions and reflections of Martin Luther King Jr. I enjoyed all of them, but they seemed repetitive after a couple of them. Before the event officially started, Andrea Roane, who had a voice for radio, and a face for television (this was obvious; she was a news anchor from WUSA Channel 9) came forward and read a nice beautiful prayer, with blessing for the dreams that Martin Luther King, Jr. had for the world, prayer for Haiti now, and also (this was the funny part) blessing for those who endorsed. Including Target, and a bank of some sort. From our seats, we could see a presidential seal under a certain section of the balcony, and Fets predicted that it was going to be where the Obamas were going to sit. And sure enough, fashionably late, we saw Michelle and their two daughters come and sit down halfway through the first long speech.
There was an amazing choir. It was large, and loud--called the Let Freedom Ring Choir, and boy, did they let it ring. There were some great vocalists. Although that choir at Plymouth yesterday had quite the pipes as well.. The music was written by the music director, a minister of music for the Metropolitan Baptist Church, Nolan Williams, Jr. The song he wrote was called, "I am the Dream", honoring MLK, but also addressing that we are the difference and we can be the change (but as Jess sincerely pointed out, (and the thought being at the back of my head as well) the song could just be about Obama making it to the presidency.)

President Obama did make an appearance. He made some statements about MLK, and also gave the "Legacy of a Dream Award" to Dikembe Mutombo, for his work with the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation Inc, in bringing improvement to the health, education, and quality of life to the Congo, his birth home. It was a really awesome moment, as Mr. President was hugged by a long slender man, with a beastly suit that surpassed all other suits, and hugged with a tenderness that could easily become a swift shot and a swish of the net. His speech, following the awarding of the award, was very hard to understand. Someone in our group said that men from that area of Africa have very low, gravely tones of voice. He reminded me of a very tall and slender Louis Armstrong, and as Marie has said before, I wanted to tell him to clear his throat, although that would do no good--it's the person he is, as to be expected and accepted.
Then the moment we'd all been waiting for began! India Arie came onstage and had some amazing music. Her soul and emotion in what she sang reminded me of someone who writes from her soul (^<^), and I enjoyed her selflessness in the way she addressed everyone she was singing with--her backup singers (who were also completely amazing), the Israeli artist, and French artist who she sang duets with, and the choir additions to her songs. Not only was her demeanor exquisite, but her outfits were amazing as well--she wore a black dress with an orange wrap, and a bright pink and teal under skirt, so when she spinned, you could see beautiful color! And her second outfit was bright! Fresh blues, pinks, and greens, and she sported a set of brightly shaded butterfly wings for the second half. Her song choices hit home and heart. "Good Men" "Strength, Courage, and Wisdom" and so many more! I love her!
After the show was over, we were heading out, taking our time, knowing that traffic and shuttles would be full and lines would be long no matter when we left, so some of us went to the bathroom and some of us went downstairs, and saw Dikembe leaving. It turns out, Fetsum's childhood hero is Dikembe Mutombo, so he waited for the traffic to die down, until it was only Dikembe's family around us--talk about some tall Africans. Fets tried several times to get a picture with him, but they wouldn't let him. Several times. But he got to shake his hand, and then seemed to be satisfied. He had the look of pure bliss, like a child when they get their favorite candy bar for free; Fets was on cloud nine.
We rode back to the metro on the shuttle, and although I stood again this time, it was a great ride back. There were two blind people in the back seat with their seeing eye dogs. Jess and Jasmine asked the first questions, about the dogs, and we learned the names of the dogs, but not the people... It was really awesome to be able to converse with random strangers in the event of connection through this evening event. They said that they almost didn't make it in to the concert hall--they didn't have the tickets, but someone gave them some, and so they got to see it. They didn't know that the Obamas were going to be there--in fact, not a whole lot of people did, there was a general gasp of surprise when the First Lady was announced as a guest and Obama was announced to present the award to Dikembe.
I was very happy to have met them. Our ride home on the metro consisted of matching animals to some of the people in the house, which didn't get far, and ran off on a tangent of the Lion King "Circle of Life", by me and Jess.
Everyone was starving by the time we got back to the house, and food was made and eaten. (Can you say Gourmet Oatmeal, anyone?) It seems that there are so many different perspectives in the house. Some people have no problem bending rules, as long as respect is taken in every other sense, and some can't even pass the idea of going beyond any set of rules. I'm an observer of the rules, but I also don't object to the people who bend the rules with moderation. To each his own, of course. We can agree to disagree, and it's a learning experience for all of us.
I watched the Hangover. Listening to the multitude of repetitions of the F-word and the nudity of the movie at such a late hour didn't have a very large effect on me, as I stated to Fetsum--you like the movie more the later it gets. Yeah it was funny, but yeah it's a waste of time, and degrading to any sane person's morals. But you get what you take. Some of it was funny.
My mom talked to me about starting to have a regular sleep schedule...
Talk to me about that later...