Show Me What Democracy Looks Like

"Love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love." - Lin Manuel Miranda

With this week being one of the most unbelievable changes in history, it was only right for me to take part in it as well. Today, Saturday, I planned on attending the Women's March in LA, but that required me getting up at 4:30 AM and setting an alarm... I set my alarm, but ended up waking at 5:48 AM, disappointed and disheartened because I costed myself the opportunity of a lifetime. I had to arrive at SBCC by 6 AM, latest, and there was no way I would be able to do what I needed to do and still be on time.

I'm usually not one to get so disappointed over things like this, but this event was going to be an unforgettable one that I wasn't a part of. After sitting straight up in bed, eyes wide open, I stopped staring at my phone and swept it underneath my pillow to try and forget that I wouldn't be attending the Women's March in LA today. Two hours of tossing and turning in bed and I finally was able to go back to sleep. Woke up again at 10 AM, still feeling sad, but decided I should get up out of bed and still remain proactive.

THEN... I remembered Santa Barbara was hosting a Women's March, downtown, in De La Guerra Plaza! I quickly showered, got ready, packed a couple of snacks, water and my camera and jumped into my car at 11:30 AM. On my way there, I played my "I'm in LOVE" playlist and cheered myself up. As I pulled into the parking lot, I just had to keep driving and driving and driving to eventually get to the rooftop, which was a really good sign! It meant we had actually gathered a ton of people. And we did.

I walked over to De La Guerra Plaza, gathered with the crowd, took snapshots and once it was time to begin marching, I turned around to see an elderly woman in tears. She said to me, "This is the America I dreamed of seeing. This is the community I love." We hugged, she placed both of her hands on my cheeks and said, "You are BEAUTIFUL. You are POWERFUL." It was such an incredible moment. Chills ran throughout my body. People of all ages, colors, genders—SO DIFFERENT... all together, fighting for change.

Of course we were met with ignorance, eye-rolling, and doubt. But we kept marching on. A day that changed my life: January 21, 2017.

See you next post,

Chey

Currently listening to pink skies by LANY