By Morgan Shidler–
I think we’ll all remember where we were when media outlets called the 2020 election for Joe Biden. No matter how we felt about the candidate, it marked the end of the longest week in the longest year of many of our lives. It marked the potential end of a nightmare, yet the continuation of a world that enabled that nightmare in the first place.
I had a short window where I could be present in the historic nature of the spontaneous events that took place on Saturday, November 7, as the news about President-elect Biden spread. I didn’t know where in Oakland the people would be, but I knew they’d be out.
I drove through downtown Oakland and didn’t see anyone. I circled Lake Merritt beginning west and heading east, and by the time I approached the Grand Lake side the energy was palpable. Every single person was dancing, shouting, honking, or wearing clothes in support of The End. It was a scene so joyous, diverse, and infectious that I couldn’t help but be moved to tears.
Speakers blared with the now iconic “FDT” anthem by YG & Nipsey Hussle as strangers embraced the restored hope for humanity that we all allowed ourselves to feel, if only for a day.
Personally, I don’t think we’re out of the woods. But Saturday, November 7, was a day I’ll never forget. Oakland showed up as joyfully as it ever has, and honored one of their own, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, in a truly beautiful display of communal joy and celebration.
Morgan Shidler is a social justice activist, photographer, travel writer, and Co-Founder of the women’s organization That’s What She Said. https://www.morganshidler.com/
Published on November 19, 2020
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