The morning of Friday, June 26 started out just like any other morning. I woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast and headed out for the train at 9:30 a.m. Just like any other work day, I read my morning news briefing during the commute (thanks, theSkimm) and learned that the Supreme Court's highly-awaited decision on gay marriage could come in just a few hours from then. I wasn't sure if Friday would be the big day, as the court could have also decided on another case.
I got to work and began brewing my French vanilla coffee, as usual, before sitting down at my desk to check my emails. A few minutes later, I was ready to start my tasks for the day. Since my work involves social media, I logged into Facebook; I think it was around 10:15. The first thing I saw on my newsfeed was news that someone had changed her cover photo to the word "history" in rainbow print.
There it was. The decision was in, and it was a good one.
I knew that social media for the rest of the day would be flooded with rainbows, news coverage and happy status updates, but that was a prediction anyone could have made. What made this occasion even more exciting for me was that I was situated in Washington, D.C., where much of the action and celebration was taking place. Friends of mine in the area were already Instagramming pictures of themselves at the Supreme Court, and I wanted to experience all that joy for myself, knowing I was only a Metro ride away. Normally I would head straight home after a busy week, but I knew that I had to stop by the Supreme Court after work.
When the time finally came, I couldn't walk fast enough to the station. After learning that the Supreme Court is, in fact, not off the Judiciary Square stop (thanks for tricking me, Metro), I finally made it to the steps of the courthouse building. Although the crowd from a few hours earlier had clearly died down, there were still plenty of people there, carrying their signs and waving their rainbow flags, celebrating the fact that history had just been made. You could feel the energy and happiness and love.
As I took my pictures and Snapchats to commemorate this joyous occasion (with the "Making History" filter, obviously), I saw one woman, adorning rainbow-colored clothing, turn to another woman, who was holding her baby. She looked at the baby and said, "This is a big day for you, you just don't know it."
What she said absolutely blew my mind. This little baby would grow up not knowing what it was like for same-sex marriage to be illegal in parts of this country.
The woman then turned to the crowd of people gathered near her. "This is a big day for all of us. Congratulations, America!" And the crowd responded with cheers.
The excitement kept going, even as the crowd continued getting smaller. Cars honked their horns as they drove up and down the street. One young man hugged everyone who walked up to him; another ran up and down the sidewalk with a rainbow flag. Everyone wanted to take pictures with the women holding the "Love Wins 6-26-15" and "Dignity Declared" signs. I know the celebrations continued well into the weekend throughout D.C.
I may not have been there when the decision was first announced, nor did I get to fulfill my dream of watching the Running of the Interns. But when my kids learn about this case and this decision, I'll be able to tell them I was at the Supreme Court the very day the ruling came down - and I've got the pictures to prove it.
