Two views--black and white--from my apartment this evening under a rising moon
I live in a high rise apartment building in downtown Raleigh, which is the capital of North Carolina. Purple state. The city and county are blue.
The park across the street borders an historically--turn of the 19th to 20th Century--African American area. The park itself underwent a $13 million renovation from late 2017-August 2019. Before the pandemic, it drew all kinds of people of all ages. It has gradually reopened recently. Most mornings there will be at least two yoga classes happening on the grassy areas. Dog walkers. Kids playing. Across the street from the park is an historic district, with cobblestone streets, called the City Market, which was built in 1914. It has a variety of shops, galleries, and restaurants. The City of Raleigh operates an event venue in the City Market, which practically every Saturday in the 2 1/2 years I've lived here, hosted at least one wedding up until the pandemic. Recently, they started having weddings again.
Beginning a couple of months ago on Saturday afternoons, a group of African American men would be gathered on the street corner across from my building expressing themselves. They were there for hours. It's 6:15 pm now and they've been there since 1 pm. They have a mike and amplification system. They are not affiliated with BLM. They are very angry. Very determined. Not buying the whole VOTE for democracy idea. They go on for hours. They read Bible verses. Then they express their grievances. Vehemently. It's quite a scene. There is no love there.
Today there was a 5:30 pm outdoor wedding in the City Market. From what I could see, the guests were all white (and not wearing masks or socially distanced). A cellist and other string musicians were playing live music. It could barely be heard over the shouting from the men on the street corner. Although I could see both groups, they couldn't see each other. In a better world, wouldn't it have been wonderful if someone from the wedding party had gone over to the park and invited the men to come to the wedding? Fantasyland? Only in a novel or a movie? Am I a hopeless romantic?
Anyway, I thought I'd share the experience of watching both scenes from my balcony.
The park and the African American men on the street corner.
The rising moon
Here comes the bride...
The wedding on the cobblestone street running between buildings in the City Market
= new reply since forum marked as read
