While my camera is still out for repairs, I've returned to shooting on film. I still need to get three more rolls developed and I, for the life of me, can't remember what I shot on them.
I can't wait to get my digital camera back. I can't shoot as much on film due to the cost and I feel odd not having a camera with me every day.
© Danielle Scruggs
(Or, #Four26, One Week Later.)
I alluded to this a few times on the blog but never really talked about it, mainly because there just wasn't any time to collect my thoughts. This year, I supported Alan Page in his run for the At-Large City Council seat. It was my first time getting involved in local politics. The special election was held one week ago today, hence the Four/26 + Five3 language.
On Election Day, I woke up very early (despite having gone to bed very late due to pre-Election Day jitters) and cast my vote in the gorgeous, early 20th-century auditorium inside McKinley Tech High School. Two of the poll watchers complimented me on my earrings. I then walked around Eckington, Bloomingdale, Columbia Heights and Capitol Hill, reminding people to vote and asking them to elect Page.
I met Betty Hunter, a great-grandmother, who invited me into her home and told me about her life in Eckington, how she had lived in DC since 1949 but was originally from Alabama.
I met an older gentleman down the street from McKinley Tech who said it was "time for some new blood" on the council and told me he would make sure to vote.
I ran into one of the candidates' mailman and a clothing shop owner on 11th Street, and the three of us got into a debate/discussion about the past 30 years of District politics.
I met a child, a sweet, adorable three (maybe four?) year old boy who looked at me, said "Hi!" as if he were greeting an old friend and hugged me tight. It was a completely unexpected moment. One of the reasons I love being around kids is that they are so open and honest with their affection. It was the highlight of my day, to be honest.
There were green and yellow and royal blue and orange campaign signs everywhere---on lampposts, on yards, in front of polling stations---representing the nine candidates in the race. I saw a few people here and there with 'I Voted' stickers but most people didn't even know there was an election going on; let alone who they were inclined to vote for.
And so it went until 8pm, when the polls officially closed. We took advantage of Election Day specials: free eponymous cupcakes at Red Velvet and discounted beers (Yuengling and Harp's Lager, respectively) at Capital City Diner. We talked politics and poll numbers with the Diner's owner. We sipped our beers and listened to soul music and looked at the results on phones and netbooks.
We learned that Vincent Orange won. And just like that, it was over. The grueling schedules, the ups and downs, the paperwork, the glad-handing, the forums, but also meeting people from all walks of life, engaging with the other candidates and their volunteers, the crash courses in the granular details of local politics...over.
We left the diner, promising to come back, thanking the owner for his hospitality.
As we walked down H Street, I felt a mix of emotions. Sad that the candidate I supported didn't win. Apprehensive about the direction in which the Council will take this city. Surprise at the realization of how much I've grown to care about and truly love this city, this city I've always felt so ambivalent about, a city I thought I would never return to after graduating college five years ago this month.
The end of the campaign has also meant the end of a lot of other things, things I don't want to go into detail about just now. But I'm starting to accept that some things just have to end. And endings don't always have to be terrible. Endings can lead to new beginnings. New adventures. New insights. New paths.
So.
The future is precarious right now (for a whole host of reasons that I'm still processing), but that's just life, isn't it?
Still, I look forward to what the future holds.
(Click photo to launch magazine.)
Due to some technical difficulties, we’re a day late but the inaugural edition of the Mambu Badu PDF magazine is now live! Thank you to everyone who submitted work, to the photographers who appear in these pages, to people who retweeted us, liked us on Facebook and sent us words of encouragement through letters. It’s much appreciated and we’re grateful for the support.
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Happy May Day!
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