Independence and Diversity

Last night, Becky and I walked six blocks to Powderhorn Park to view the fireworks display for Independence Day. Since we’re residents of the neighborhood now, we figured we’d see how the extremely local display compared to the downtown display we saw last year (via the Franklin Bridge).

Upon reaching the park, we were pleased to find that there were already hundreds of people there. People had brought grills and games and stuff and were just hanging out. There was a stage setup and a improvisational free-form jazz band was playing. There were booths set up and people were selling food and drinks.

But what really struck me was the diversity level we found. There were many families of many different races enjoying the beautiful evening together. I bought some homemade taquitos from a booth and they were delicious. When we found a place to sit down to watch the fireworks, we were within ear-shot of at least three languages (Spanish, Hmong, and English). There were families, groups of 20-somethings, older folks with lawn chairs, and everyone in between. Once the fireworks got going, everyone was cheering and clapping together. It made me think about how cool it is that we live in a community where there are many races represented, but at the same time we are all the same: American. And we could all enjoy a celebration of our freedom together.