West Indian Day Parade

I love a parade! Especially the West Indian Day Parade! Double-especially after J’Ouvert! You know, for the delirium factor. Every year I make it a point to stick around town during Labor Day weekend so I can take part in the festivities. This year was extra-special, tho, cos the Brooklyn for Barack folks got together with some other Barack supporters and put together a float with a sound system, banners, and beauty queens from Trinidad. I couldn’t have gotten up on that float if I had tried, so I marched alongside in my sequin dress waving my Obama ’08 sign.  Tamara, who was my personal hero of the day, pushed a wheelchair full of supplies all the damn way down the parade route. The rest of us ran back and forth across the parkway passing out the newspaper announcing The Calypso King’s endorsement of Obama, posed for photographs, and danced with strangers.

Now, this parade moves at about .05 miles/hour, so there was plenty of time to talk to spectators/potential voters. Many were upset Barack wasn’t himself riding on the float. Others just wanted more Obama stickers. All in all, everybody had something to say, including a police officer.

“Don’t bother. They don’t even vote anyway.”

Boo! I mean, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I ignored him. That type of negativity doesn’t even deserve acknowledgement–screw it! Can’t rain on my parade.