TrulyGrace

Hillary in Pittsburgh, March 2008 II

Hillary will be at the St. Patrick's Day Parade here in Pittsburgh this morning. I would like to go, (Jeff and some other friends from Faith Sharing at the Newman Center are going), but I don't think my legs/hips will hold out...I don't think I can stand that long; and I have an obligation at the time (see earlier draft posted this afternoon---but written earlier, below)

I realized that I had represented various people by seeing her on the stage at the rally yesterday ("Senator Hillary Clinton Makes Local Stops," and "UNCUT: Sen. Hillary Clinton Rally in Oakland"). Besides my sweatshirt, campaign buttons I wore (Asian American Pacific Islanders for Hillary, Wellesley Women for Hillary), and the Wellesley banner I waved when she discussed economic issues around education; I represented others who could not attend the rally---my friend who I had dined with earlier this week, various Filipino/as in the Pittsburgh area, educators/environmentalists at work, friends in the Pittsburgh Wellesley Club, Church friends (choir and otherwise), family members in the medical profession and not, immigrants/diaspora, librarians, Irish dancers, and on and on. After the rally, my friend and I discussed who we knew who were voting for her, and she also joked that I knew 20%...wait, 25%,...WAIT, 35% of the people at the rally. Every time she turned around, I was saying hello to someone I knew, or was finding a connection to the people around us. I didn't even have to bring a camera, as Tita Tina took my picture at the rally!

...Mom had waved the banner that I toted at the rally earlier at a rally that Hillary held in support of Bill's campaign when she visited Marietta, Ohio back in his first bid for the Presidency. Now, the banner has been passed to me.

In a way, we all represent others who cannot vote or cannot make it to the polls. We all represent each other; we all pull for each other.

Labels: American history, BAD, celebration, Church, citizenship, dance, diaspora, Faith, family, global warming, Marietta, neighbors, Philippines, Pittsburgh, Wellesley

posted by Grace @ 3/15/2008 08:26:00 AM