When Joe Biden won the election this morning, I wasn’t paying attention to the news. I was watching a PS5 unboxing YouTube video and trying to stay away from my phone. (I recently saw The Social Dilemma documentary, and I have been super on-edge about my phone usage.) All of a sudden, I heard people just losing it outside, screaming from their windows, banging on pans, and bumping the famous YG and Nipsey Hussle song “FDT.” I threw all my phobias out the window and immediately opened up Twitter to see the surreal news. No more than a couple of minutes later, New York gave me a call and asked me if I was ready to go shoot. All of my pain, tiredness, and overall lack of energy pretty much disappeared in half a second.
Walking around my neighborhood, the infamous Bedford-Stuyvesant, was like a scene out of a movie. People shouting from their cars, honking their horns in unison. People in wheelchairs bumping music and holding their fists high. Heading into Manhattan on the subway, at around Myrtle and Broadway, there was so much action outside, I thought about running off the train multiple times.
I haven’t felt this level of love and togetherness in a long time. Especially with how heavy this year has been, and the weird chance we can enjoy a day of global warming with 70-degree weather. New York was celebrating together today.
Once I finally got toward Washington Square Park, I felt this immersive environment of love come even more to life, with the sun beaming over everyone. People were just straight-up in the water. And it was a metaphysical feeling, seeing the fountain just erupting as if it were a geyser, and seeing people enjoying this one good day together.
I can’t wait to go back outside.
