Over 4th of July weekend, I attended the Smithsonian Folk Festival on the Mall, and I can honestly say it was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. There was food (South Asian, West African, Colombian, and BBQ), music (FUNK BROTHERS, Swamp Dog) and dancing (various types of native dancing from Colombian to Ukrainian and everything in between) I had such an amazing time in the Rhythm and Blues Motor City tent, where I heard the Funk Brothers and Swamp Dog. The Funk Brothers performed and I cannot describe the amount of joy I felt in listening to them. (The title of this blog post was apart of one of their main songs) They are a very talented group and they brought together a crowd that was absolutely amazing. You had people of all ages, the elderly to toddlers, all together clapping, singing, dancing and shouting. You had white, black, Asian, Indian, and people of all types of other ethnic backgrounds enjoying funk/Motown music (which happens to be my favorite genre) By far one of the greatest parts of DC is the people, and the folk festival was a perfect illustration. Oh and even better, KIM WESTON (a Motown great) was there and performed as well. One of the great aspects of the 4th of July is the way that people come together to celebrate our nation's independence. I appreciate the patriotism that we all show during at least the 3 days leading up to the actual day itself. But even better, is when you get to spend time observing the interactions of hundreds of strangers all banded together because of one commonality. To some it may not make sense, but watching people singing and dancing together, strangers who before that moment had no idea the other existed, was to me a perfect picture of what celebrating our independence is all about. People, strangers, coming together and sharing in the joy of the simple fact that we... are a free people. Free to sing, free to dance, free to laugh, clap and shout. It's all too easy to forget that these freedoms aren't enjoyed by everyone. It's far too easy to forget that there are countries entangled in strife, countries where people hate their neighbor be it because of a difference in religion, skin tone, etc. Disunity surrounds us, and I think it's important to celebrate the fact that in America, though not always, at least during the 4th of July, we are able to celebrate unity.
When you come to DC, everyone will tell you the same thing. "There's so much to do" or "There's always something going on" or "The city is just so go, go, go" All of these things are true, but as a person who sometimes needs to stop, focus and observe, I can honestly say DC has many opportunities for you to do that as well. And though this festival was buzzing and full of people, it was also a place where, when you stopped for a moment and just observed, you saw the beauty of it; the diversity, the excitement. So I recommend for any that take a tour of this place, go to a festival, a show, anything, and take a minute to just observe what you see around you. I'm pretty sure it'll leave you amazed.
-AEO
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