We grow up hearing our parents and families say things like, Where were you when MLK/JFK were shot? Where were you when we landed on the moon? Where were you when Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs? I am not too sure about the moon thing, I think it was in a studio in Hollywood, but I do know MLK and JFK were defining moments in our history as Americans. Billie Jean King's win was a defining moment for women.
Our space program is based on JFK's willingness to think outside the box. My ability to have a white Jewish boyfriend and drink from the same water fountain is thanks to MLK. Billie Jean King's success paved the way for women like myself to play sports at the same caliber as men. Because I did not experience these things first hand (I was not glued to the black and white t.v. set with rabbit ears or in the picket lines of Montgomery while all of this went down ...I wasn't even born) they are rights I was given at birth, kind of like breathing. We all take it for granted until we don't have it anymore.
As of November 4, 2008, the two where were you when moments in my life are the destruction of the world trade center's twin towers and the smack down Senator Obama gave Senator McCain to become the 43rd President of the United States of America.
September 11th, 2001 was probably one of the most numbing experiences of my life. Every morning (when I was still an early riser) I woke up and got ready for my 9a.m. class by watching the Today show. I remember Katie Couric cutting away to the footage/live feed around 8a.m. to see the first plane crash into the first tower. All I could think was "that plane must be having some kind of crazy electrical problem or something." The second plane hit the other tower. I thought it was really strange and went to class. The drive from my apartment to my school was about ten minutes. In the time it took me to get to school and park, the Pentagon had been hit. The news was all over campus and classes were cancelled. I remember calling my dad and talking to him about it. I was pissed that we never thought anything like this could happen to us. "What makes us so different than any place in the world other than our superior bullying skills," is all I could ask myself. The months after the attack became somber and I became closer to knowing someone who lost their life so abruptly. It is a type of "six degrees of separation" I do not like to play.
Now, seven years later, another moment I will remember forever has taken place. America has given me hope. I am an optimist who reluctantly began to doubt the goodness in people and my country. Today marks the beginning of an era. I never thought it would happen in my lifetime because Americans can be really petty and asinine, but we did it, we elected our first black President. To quote 3-6-Mafia, "...like Barak Obama says its time for a change." Well, here we are. I will always remember I was living in a "nice" red state. Unlike Florida, there was no one standing outside the polls trying to intimidate the voters, toting signs of what/who they believe is right. People held my door open to enter the polling center. My opposition was NEVER hostile to instill fear in me for my opinions. It was a fair fight. I've never been so nervous about anything in my life because up until now, I knew I could handle the outcome should it not go my way. I remember watching the number of Electoral College votes jump from 207 to 333, the magic number. I remember seeing my phone ring and my best friend Ami being on the other line giggling her face off.
I hope in my many years to come, there are more defining "where were you when" moments that make me smile and laugh. I hope I am proud and thankful. I hope I am always looking for more!
