It began with an eruption of cheering that started at 11:30 AM on Saturday, November 7th.
I woke up early to straighten up the apartment. I had plans to go meet up with girlfriends later that day in Brooklyn, so I was trying to get a head-start on my morning so I could go grab my coffee and ease into the day.
Once I finished the dishes I got wrapped up in a book and the next minute it was right after 11 AM. I never actually grabbed that coffee, and I hadn’t even left the apartment.
At 11:25 AM my brother called me to chat about his upcoming visit to the city. He was in the middle of telling me a story about his latest golf game when a roar of excitement and screams flooded the street from outside my closed windows. I paused, and then said to him, “I have to go, I think something just happened with the election.”
Hanging up the phone I immediately went straight over to the window overlooking my fire escape and forced it open. The muffled sound of excitement from down below exploded flooding my apartment.
And that’s when I knew.
At this precise moment, at 11:30 AM in the morning, I learned that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had won the 2020 election.
People were dancing, hugging, crying, and screaming for joy. Cars were honking their horns as they drove down the street. Everyone was thrilled. They were absolutely enthralled with the news that Biden and Harris had officially won Pennsylvania, putting them right at 284 electoral college votes, officially surpassing Donald Trump and Mike Pence in the 2020 Presidential Election.
Climbing out onto my fire escape I joined in on the celebration. I yelled, I laughed, I hooted and hollered, and I cried for joy. For equality and justice. For the people of The United States. For better morals. For people of color and immigrants. For women. For my future children. And for my future President and first-ever Female woman of color Vice President of The United States.
The excitement had the girls in the building across from me dancing to Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus on their fire escape. The gay couple below them were waving their pride flag and crying. There was a single man in a blue cowboy hat jumping up and down two doors over from that couple. Everyone in line at Tompkins Square Bagels was hugging, befriending, and loving one another.
And the cars continued to honk and roar.
A crowd began to form outside of the park, right on the corner of Avenue A and 10th. People were running, high-fiving, and shrieking with excitement and relief.
The excitement never stopped. It didn’t even pause.
And the day could not have been more gorgeous. The sky was clear, not a single cloud in sight. The temperature for an average New York November day was strangely warm. A high of 73 degrees and sunny.
I called, I texted, and I sent my friends videos of the excitement in the city. My Biden friend supporters were elated, and my Trump friends… weren’t quite as happy. My Australian uncle, who recently officially became a citizen of the United States was blowing up my phone with pictures of CNN and exclaiming that this was “a huge collective sigh of relief.”
And the city still kept on roaring.
But it wasn’t only my neighborhood. Every block in Manhattan from Harlem to Wall Street was erupting with delight. Times Square was bustling with joy. Union Square was on fire with elated emotion. Little Italy was screaming with excitement. The people in SoHo were jumping.
And even Brooklyn was soaring. McCarren Park was flooded with people celebrating the news. Friends were popping bottles of Champagne off their fire escapes and others were dancing in the streets.
I made friends with my new downstairs neighbor and we celebrated with beers on his fire escape. And the girls dancing in the building across from us continued to blast every possible version and remix of God Bless America by Lee Greenwood, ones that I didn’t even know existed.
And the excitement continued.
Later in the day I eventually started to make my way to Brooklyn. I hopped on the L train and the people in my car were kinder than usual. Even with our masks on, you could tell that through their eyes they were smiling. People were being warm and generous. They were relieved.
I walked down Bedford Avenue and at 5:30 pm just after the sun had begun to set, and the elatedness and joy didn’t stop there. The streets were filled with people, the restaurants and bars were (safely) packed. And more people were crying and rejoicing.
Strolling into McCarren park there were hundreds of people spread out on picnic blankets. A DJ to the left of the baseball field had a crowd of mask-wearing, dancing supporters surrounding him. There was a bus with a band on the roof with a crowd hooting and hollering around them. Children were running around with flags, and parents were hugging and cheering.
And there were fireworks. Lots of fireworks.
Later in the night, I watched Kamala Harris deliver her victory speech. And I got chills. I watched as the women in the room around me had tears in their eyes. Because for the first time ever in history, a female was delivering this monumental speech.
Kamala Harris will be the first-ever Indian-American and African-American woman Vice President in U.S. history, and thus, the highest-ranking female elected official in United States history. This phenomenal achievement will aid in breaking the glass ceiling that women and minorities have been working to break for many years.
All this is due to the millions of American citizens who chose to vote for her, Joe Biden, equality, and so much more.
After Harris finished I watched as Biden delivered his victory speech. He was kind and optimistic. Thankful and proud of the American voters who decided to elect them. He spoke about positive change and a future that looked brighter than the terrible year the people in this country has endured. He said, “ to make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies.” And I agree with him.
In his speech he referenced the Holy Bible, “to everything there is a season. A time to build, a time to reap, and a time to sow, and a time to heal. This is the time to heal in America.” and it is. Whether or not you may believe in the scripture of the Holy Bible, I firmly agree that what he said is true for our country right now. Christian, Atheist, Agnostic, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, or more... we together must heal. In order to grow, we must heal together first.
This moment, this day, was a long-anticipated and anxious race. A race that made history, and will continue to do so as they break barriers in hopefully creating positive change for the people of America.
While in other parts of The United States, many people are frustrated with this outcome. And I can understand that, as their choice for the next President of The United States was not selected... which to them is a disappointment. To those supporters, I am sorry you do not have the same view as I and the many Americans who voted for Harris and Biden do.
But, I hope that with our newly elected President and Vice President, for those people who did not vote for them, they decide to adjust their perspective and approach the next four years with an open mind for opportunity and harmony in this country. With our nation divided we cannot create conducive change, and we cannot continue to be divided in order to accomplish that.
So, for those of you who have made it down my lengthy recap of this monumental day in history in the city that I love, thank you. For those of you who voted, thank you. And for those of you who did not, I hope that you choose to do so next time.
I am so very proud to be a woman in this country right now, and I hope that you are proud to be an American too. Let’s together hope that the next four years lead to a positive future for the generations now and those to come.
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