In a time when our country should be growing more united during this destructive pandemic, we are seeing the unnecessary divide based on color. It was a hot, sticky day as we walked across the National Mall. As my shirt started pasting itself to my back, I was searching for one of those well-placed vendors selling water out of a cooler. My feet were getting tired (that mall is WAY bigger in person) and I was starting the feel the history around me. Each memorial is powerful. Each section of sidewalk has witnessed peace, struggle, hope, divide, and some of America’s most impactful stories.
As we approached the steps to the Lincoln Memorial I stumbled upon a square with an inscription. Dr. Martin Luther King stood there to deliver his “I have a dream” speech. I paused and looked around. People of all colors were enjoying the day and for a moment I forgot about the current news reels.
The Statue of the President is 19 feet high. I read that if he stood up (like he does at the Disneyland Attraction) he would be a towering 28ft tall! He sits in the middle of a chamber with historic speeches and marble columns. Voices carry on echoes throughout the stone and marble structure. Flip-flops smack against the cool smooth floor. The security guard’s masked, muffled directions could be heard above the crowds doing his best to remind everyone of social distancing efforts. Cameras click and arms stretch to catch a selfie with our 16th President. Children listen on as parents and grandparents try to find age appropriate ways to share a legacy.
With all the noise around I did manage to find some quiet space in my head to reflect. Like the man who gave a speech for civil rights on the steps just a hundred feet away, the President’s life was also taken way too soon. How amazing that their stories intersected in this historic place.