On This Day in 2016!!

Tuesday March 1st, Terry McAuliffe was the 72nd Governor of Virginia, Paul Fraim, Norfolk’s Mayor since 1994 was in four months to the day preparing to ride off into the political sunset, and this was day I told the world, via Facebook, I was heading to the polls for the 2016 Super Tuesday Elections. I expressed my excitement with a photo, the one attached to this blog post here. It was special to me. This was my 4th time voting in a presidential election, and my first time attending a rally connected to same. I was hyped, scared, confused, and embarrassed to show it. I remember arriving to Lake Taylor High School, Monday February 29, that was also the last time we had a leap year, which if I can take this side note, because I find it fascinating, EVERY PRESIDENTIAL RACE falls on the same year as LEAP YEAR.... 😳😳😳 now back to work..

I pull up to the school, naturally there was nowhere to park, so I pulled into the middle school lot. Another interesting fact. Lake Taylor Junior High, now a middle school, opened on the former City Prison Farm along the lake just south of the water pumping station in 1965. This $2.1 million project was the city’s 11th junior high school; which two years latter In September of 1967, added the $5 million Lake Taylor Senior High next door as the city's fifth high school.

That said, I parked right in front of LTMS, with my eyes laser beamed on LTHS, somewhat five hundred yards away. I took a deep breath, opened the car door, and slowly got out becoming more nervous with ever move I made. What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to react here? If that was not bad enough, I had the craziest question of them all, stuck on my brain like tumor the size of a watermelon 🍉.. the one even at this moment I still cannot answer. As I slowly walked down the sidewalk, passing by Norfolks Finest, who were seemingly protecting the wonderful people of WTKR News 3, WAVY-TV 10, WVEC 13NEWS NOW, and even WHRO 15 might have made an appearance. All of this pop, all of this bravado, had me sinking in my boots, and emotionally 💩💩💩 in my pants.

At this point I had been a content creator for six years, but new to the local game. I did not have that Casey Neistat personality, I was not comfortable holding a camera in public, let alone, putting it in someone’s face, especially since I was scared to get asked if I believed in this woman? I was afraid my answer would have to be HILL-NO!!!! Not because she was a bad candidate, but because I wasn’t sure of it. TRUTH BE TOLD.. Up until this point, I knew nothing about politics, I wasn’t even sure of what I believed in. Ya see I was never really taught this growing up. My great grandfather, Thomas Ellis Welch (TEW), my inspiration behind branding my initials was heavily involved politically, but kept his family out of it, not to mention, when I came along, he was old.

So here I am scared, walking into this event, alone, slowly filing into my seat, which looking back, I would have changed because I sat myself smack behind the podium which meant I was guaranteed to be on the news. I remember this young lady who sat next to me, even took a selfie with me, NO IT IS NOT THAT I DON’T WANNA TELL YOU HER NAME, it is that I was to embarrassed to ask her name. So here we go, the fire has been lit, we’ve got the eye of the tiger 🐅 and everyone is Norfolk can hear this roar, except I am not really contributing, because I don’t know 🤷🏾‍♂️.. Even during her talk, I was like do I believe in this stuff? More importantly, do I understand this stuff? THE ANSWER AGAIN WAS... HILL-NO..

It is so crazy to think of where I have come these four years. The friends I have made, the alliances I have be fortunate to build, the opportunities I have garnered, and most importantly my confidence, and identity I have obtained began on this faithful day, four years ago..