A Tale of Two Cities
April 8, 1968 - Washington, DC
At age 13, I had just arrived in Alexandria, Virginia to interview for admission to Episcopal High School, an exclusive boarding school in suburban Washington, DC. Episcopal sits on the 2nd highest spot in the metro area (only National Cathedral is higher). So from campus, you could see the flames and smoke from the rioting that had erupted after Dr Martin Luther King, Jr had been assassinated the week before. Should I pass my interview, I would become the first African-American student in the school's 129 year history. This was my introduction to our nation's capital.
It was extremely unsettling standing there on that promontory watching the capital city burn. Everyone was still dealing with the shock of Dr King's assassination. Cities all over the country had erupted into racial violence. It almost seemed as if the very fabric of society were tearing apart. And here I was.......being thrust into this situation at the most inconvenient of times. As frightened as I was at the time, I don't think I was smart enough to be as frightened as I should have been. Years later, a very good friend of mine who was several classes ahead of me told me that on the night that Dr King's assassination was announced in study hall, a number of students had erupted in celebratory applause and shouting before being restrained by school officials. Had my parents known that, they would NEVER have allowed me to attend. But despite the political turbulence and personal fear, I enrolled in the fall and attended Episcopal for four years, graduating in 1972. By the way, John McCain is also an alumnus of Episcopal High School.
January 20, 2008 - Washington, DC
As I watch the sheer joy and ecstacy of the throngs of citizens who have descended on the National Mall to witness one of THE most extraordinary events in American history, I can't help but harken back to that day in April of 1968. All the fear, all the violence, all the doubt, all the paranoia.......not present in any form. Today is filled with hope, joy, promise and potential. For my country, I pray for more days like January 20, 2008 and fewer days like April 8, 1968. Congratulations, President Barack Obama!