One day I hope my children learn of the American that was Harambe. Actually, I'm certain they will. I know Harambe will decorate the pages of textbooks in our near future. There will be dissertations on our old friend to discover what he really meant to us. You see, Harambe was our guerrilla glue. He was the glue that held our country together. But that adhesive was ripped apart on May 28th, 2016 when Harambe was taken from us.
Harambe is like a soul brother to me, for you see, we were both born in Brownsville, Texas. I was born many years before him, so he was like a little brother to me. Harambe was named after Dan Van Coppenolle because of his love for the 1988 international hit "Harambe (Working Together for Freedom)" by Rita Marley. Coppenolle entered Harambe's name into a contest for the baby gorilla and won.
A young loving gorilla had to one day grow up and join adulthood and maybe find a mate. Harambe had a big heart and a lot of love to give. So, it only made sense for him to go the Cincinnati Zoo on September 18th, 2014 to join adult gorillas and learn from them. It was like our sweet young boy was going off to college, and we couldn't have been more proud.
On that fateful day of May 28th 2016, the world stood still. A young boy accidentally fell into Harambe's moat. One can't blame the boy, as it was, in fact, an accident. Everyone panicked, as did Harambe. My emotions keep me from giving more details about that day, but we all know the events that came to happen.
It was a national tragedy that even saw thousands of flags fly at half mast. There are stories of people who woke from a coma only to ask to see their favorite gorilla at the Cincinnati zoo. One can only imagine how their hearts broke into millions of little pieces.
Harambe was only seventeen at the time of his death. Who knows what kind of achievements he could have accomplished in the gorilla community throughout his life. Now we must spend our days dreaming of who he was and what he could have been. But, it's like the great Harvey Dent said, "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain". Harambe died an American hero.
So, here's to you Harambe.
Forever in our hearts. Always on our minds.
