On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 2017 my friends and I walked to the national mall to see our city being transformed into the center-stage for the inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump. I was struck by how incredibly different everything looked. The steps of the Lincoln were covered by a stage that features moving walls that are most likely inspired by the “Build the Wall” movement that was so central to Trump’s astonishing victory.
As we walked through the tunnels under the stage to get to the top of the stairs, I glanced around me and thought about how much everything in this city and the world is going to change on the 20th of January. When I got to the top, I saw a different view than the one I have visited dozens of time over the last year and a half. The stage is covering almost the entire entrance to the Lincoln, including the inscription where Dr. King gave his “I have a dream” speech was covered by this stand; I thought this was ironic given the day.
As we walked away from the center of the mall and over towards the MLK memorial, things became more normal. People were there paying respect to an iconic American leader, they were laying wreaths, shooting interviews and taking photos by the statue and the tidal basin. We did the same, standing there and taking pictures with our friends.
We moved on, walking back towards the Washington monument and wondering how we never noticed a weirdly shaped tree that was there before. We reflected on how lucky we are to live in and go to school in the District. How even though this may not be how we imagined it, we are about to witness so much history in the coming days and months.
As those words came out of my mouth we heard the sirens to indicate the Obama’s motorcade, returning from their annual service trip to commemorate Dr. King. We watched the line of SUV’s, police cars, armored vans and an ambulance (pro tip: the presidential motorcade is the only one that has an ambulance with it), drive past the African American Culture Museum and up onto Pennsylvania avenue to the South Lawn for what will be one of the last times.
Our group split up and my two best friends and I slowly made our way to the White House. We talked about how everything was changing again, we talked about what Trump’s presidency will mean to us, to our friends and to our families. We talked about whether we should be scared or not, and we talked about how none of this has happened before.
On the morning of Friday January 20, 2017, my friends and I again made our way down to the mall; this time to witness the inauguration of the 45th president of the United States. We got there late in the morning, but wound up nearly as close to the inauguration as you could get without having tickets. It was a somber, quiet environment and we all left with a feeling of dismay as to what the future would hold as a series of controversial protests kicked off around us.
However, the following day, I felt a sense of pride in the United States that I have never felt before. The Women’s March on Washington was one of the most profoundly inspiring events I have ever attended. I saw men, women, children and everyone in between there to stand for what is right. If day one was any indication, the new administration is in for a wild ride.
