C.T.M.B at the Presidential Inauguration: Students Share Their Experiences in Washington D.C
Impact on Student
LaShay Heard
Jan 25. 2013
“I was a drum major for justice and peace.” is engraved on the side of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial. How do I know? Because I was able to witness this and various other monuments in our nation’s capital. The trip to Washington D.C. was a life changing event for me. It has brought me closer to my band family and it brought me to appreciate history in itself. Touring the National Mall was great. I got a chance to see the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the WWII Memorial and many other ones, too. I tossed pennies and quarters to the bottom of the reflection pool, which sits at the foot of the Washington Monument. The pool was actually very shallow, which was surprising to me. It was great seeing all of the Army personnel touring the Mall, too. While touring, our tour guide, Dante, gave us insight on each monument and told us little fun facts about things in the area. It made me appreciate history because I did not know that the Washington Monument is two different colors, or that the White House cannot be seen from anywhere in D.C because of security reasons and because of the belief that the president is not about the people. That truly changed my life as far as my interest in our history. The tours were not the only fun things in D.C. though. For me, being at the hotel and bonding with people in the band, whom of which I probably never would have got to know very good, was fun. Becoming a family was the best part of the trip, singing band songs on the bus, saying our chants while walking out of the competition, and representing Detroit at the awards banquet was fun as well. The best part of the trip was for me was touring Howard University, my dream school. I have wanted to attend Howard since I was in 7th grade. I loved the campus and I learned a lot about the school’s history as well. For example, many of the Divine Nine Sororities and Fraternities were founded at Howard. That’s something not many people outside of the Greek community know. I loved Howard’s band and their rendition of Neck by Cameo. Going to Washington D.C. was a life changing experience for me because I saw the first black president get re-elected. At the inauguration, I saw an elderly woman cry because she never thought she would see this not once, but twice. It was astounding to me how a black man holding a position in office effected someone who had no family tie to him at all. I loved being in the atmosphere and I loved seeing history being made. I am truly thankful for the opportunity that I was blessed with.