Last week, Charles and I made a spur of the moment decision at 10pm to head downtown to The National Mall, a.k.a. “The Mall” as we locals like to call it, because D.C. at night is our favorite…
The hoards of tourists are gone and the monuments are all lit up, creating a quiet intimacy you won’t experience when visiting during the day.
We had planned to walk all over the Mall but, instead, found ourselves gravitating towards the MLK Jr. Memorial where the statue of Dr. King stands proudly, his image carved out of the “Stone of Hope” as a reminding symbol of the fight for justice and equality.
My favorite part of this memorial is the Inscription Wall which features 14 quotes chosen from Dr. King’s speeches, sermons and writings that embody his 4 main principles: justice, democracy, hope and love.
While we’ve been to The Mall at night many times, this was our first time seeing the MLK Jr. Memorial at night and after our visit, I now prefer seeing it this way as opposed to during the day.
Because at night is when the memorial really comes to life.
At night, Dr. King stands as a literal beacon of light watching over D.C. in the midst of darkness.
And it’s a very comforting sight to behold.
It’s been an ominous couple of days as we prepare for the inevitability of the inauguration on Friday.
Ominous but not hopeless.
If anything, I think the audacity of hope is stronger than ever.
For every action, there is a reaction and I believe we are going to see some amazing things manifest over these next 4 years in response to the adversities our nation is preparing to face & overcome. Case in point, the Women’s March on Washington taking place this Saturday <– Charles and I and a group of friends will be marching. Hope to see you there!
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Today, we celebrate your legacy Dr. King.
May your words continue to spur social action.
And your light always shine over D.C., America and the world.
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