Categories: Hazel Rosetta Smith,
On the day prior to the inauguration of US President 47, an anonymous text message was making its rounds. The emphatic words stated Help make History, Boycott Inauguration Day, and turn your TV off at 12 o-clock on January 20th.
The purpose was stated as to make this inauguration the least-watched live event in the history of television. And furthermore, it assumed it would be a wonderful way to make Martin Luther King proud with an old-school approach to change.
When I received the above-mentioned text message, I was stunned by its request. As a Black citizen of the United States, it would behoove me to secure my presence in the business of the government. Inclusion is the name of the game if we are to stay abreast of who and what oversees our survival.
In these times of social media and its emotional commentary, it is mandatory that we make a personal attempt to seek out the truth for ourselves and not rely on someone else to interpret information that is readily available.
My decision to watch the inauguration was an eye-opening opportunity. I was like Rosa Parks, refusing to relinquish my seat. From my favorite chair, glued to the TV screen, I devoted the entire day focused on faces, body language, and every spoken word, beyond the pomp and circumstance, the high styling and profiling.
I watched the gestures, the smirks and laughter, was disappointed in the buffoonery, and amazed at the presence of the world’s wealthiest tech titans assembled neck to neck with the new regime, as the day’s events moved from one location to the next.
I saw the pain on the faces of those who sat stoically listening to their good work and years of service dissected with disdain and insults like running water cascading down a cliffside.
I felt the humiliation that Vice President Kamala Harris had to endure riding shoulder to shoulder in a car with JD Vance, the newly elected vice president, who had publicly called her trash.
I watched ceremonial handshakes exchanged from advocacy and enemies. I understood why some chose not to participate in any form or fashion in this grand display of unapologetic disrespect.
With appreciation, in the same viewing, I saw men and women who served in the government, able to walk tall with assurance, because their work has not been in vain.
On Monday, January 20th, I saw Maya Angelou’s words come to life, as I watched the desecration of what a caring leadership should provide for its people. “When someone shows you who they are, believe it.”
I celebrate the valor and stature of Martin Luther King, Jr., throughout the year in many aspects of my African American experience with appreciation for all that he accomplished, knowing that he tried to create a beloved community for all people.
[Hazel Rosetta Smith is a journalist, playwright, and artistic director for Help Somebody Theatrical Ministries. Contact: misshazel@twc.com]
