Rajeev Goyal2013-06-18T20:53:33-04:00Rajeev Goyalhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=rajeev-goyalCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Rajeev GoyalGood old fashioned elbow grease.Michael Melamedoff's New Film, The Exhibitionists, Dazzles at the Arizona Undergound Film Festivaltag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.19115772012-09-25T02:17:30-04:002012-11-24T05:12:01-05:00Rajeev Goyalhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/rajeev-goyal/
In his debut feature film, Weakness, director Michael Melamedoff examined the relationship between human infirmity and desire, and how the two fuel one another in powerful and unexpected ways. The signature of that film and Melamedoff's latest work, The Exhibitionists, which opened to notable critical acclaim at the prestigious Arizona Underground Film Festival this weekend, is the artistic courage to look at the deepest, most unsettling and unsightly manifestations of human desire, while also showing the tenderness and sense of hope that ultimately remains when these manifestations are reconciled with a greater sense of purpose and beauty.
An out-of-body experience is how I would describe the reaction I had when I was invited by the director to a special screening of an early cut of the film in New York City. Given the grotesque yet magical, carnal yet sensual, repulsive yet attractive, celebratory yet apocalyptic imagery and storyline of the film, hours after the spell of the film subsided, I marvelled at how I could connect viscerally to the dark and grotesque desires of the film's ensemble characters, a reaction I expect many viewers of The Exhibitionists will share.
In marvellous self-reflectivity, the film, produced with a meager budget of only $75,000, depicts 36 hours in the life of Walter Todd (played by Richard Short), a filmmaker with quixotic sexual obsessions and a rueful dark streak, as he gathers friends for a New Year's Eve party. The early scenes of the film, as the party is beginning and guests are arriving and reuniting, create an exciting sense of possibility. As the plot unfolds, however, the parallel between the exploitative film Todd is creating about these guests to satisfy and conjure his own cravings and the one we, the viewers, are consuming, resonates on so many levels that the film is the rare kind of art that turns the camera on the viewer to reveal greater truth.
In describing how the project came about, Melamedoff, who is currently working on a feature-length documentary on the Korean Artist Victor Victori, said, "When my frequent collaborator, Michael Hayden, approached me with his first draft for The Exhibitionists I was simply stunned by the material -- his script was saturated with human grotesques, risque sex and shocking violence. For many films this content would exist merely as a genre trope. Instead, what the script for The Exhibitionists delivered was a complex meditation on how the dissemination of sex and violence through media has impacted our archetypes of desire, reshaping them around degradation and exploitation." He goes on to say, "The script disturbed and terrified me. I could not put it down." Indeed the director's deep engagement for the material is integral to taking the viewer into the darkly melodic world of the film.
The Exhibitionists is entertaining, macabre, and engaging. Perhaps most vitally though it will serve as a lightening rod for debate on where to pin the distinctions between art and pornography, desire and destruction. One can only imagine the depths of what this talented film director and crew could create with even a slightly more sizeable budget. Given the quality of this film, it is only a matter of time before we find out.
A trailer for Michael Melamedoff's The Exhibitionists can be viewed by clicking here. For the full schedule of the Arizona Underground Film Festival, click here.
THE EXHIBITIONISTS Theatrical Release Date: USA, September 22, 2012 (Arizona Underground Film Festival) Production Companies: Kinetic Arts / Farraj Factory / Blithe Stargazer Approximate running time: 90 minutes Director: Michael Melamedoff Writer: Michael Edison Hayden Cinematographer: Robbie Renfrow Composer: Teddy Blanks Cast: Richard Short, Pepper Binkley, Ella Rae Peck, Mike Doyle, Lauren Hodges, Daniel London, Laverne Cox]]>Jules White's Debut L.A. Exhibition at the Gregory Way Gallerytag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8344642011-03-11T09:49:02-05:002011-05-25T18:40:24-04:00Rajeev Goyalhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/rajeev-goyal/
Mark your calendars for Jules White's debut Los Angeles exhibition at the Gregory Way Gallery (245 South Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, 90212, Phone: 818 577-3506) which opens March 26, 2011.
White's bold photo collages of California, Japan, Switzerland and Alabama are Hockneyesque but very much his individual eye. They mark interesting truths about photography and experience, particularly in the large collage entitled "Japan at Rest." The elongated beauty of the oriental dining room with a spectacular view is a detailed and rich memory.
Several of these collages have been featured in magazines or on book covers. One of them, "The Porch," (used for the cover of the book "Observations Without Daddy" was chosen as one of the "20 Coolest Book Covers of the Year" by the Huffington Post. White's paintings show an underlay of honed talent in drawing and composition.
White is an Assistant Professor of Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech University and has been represented by galleries in the South and Southwest. He has had numerous exhibitions outside California.
]]>It's Time for the Peace Corps Administration to Wake Up and Reformtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8139302011-01-25T16:34:03-05:002011-05-25T18:25:24-04:00Rajeev Goyalhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/rajeev-goyal/
Without Shriver's genius and boundless energy, Kennedy's 1960 campaign promise to create the Peace Corps, would have been a hollow dream. Shriver was its master builder. He crafted the Peace Corps at lightening speed by drafting the sharpest, grittiest minds in America onto his staff. If there were problems hurting the volunteers, he wanted to know. If something needed to be done, he got on a plane and did it. He was the best kind of leader, one that viewed rules as dispensable if they obstructed the ideals they were meant to realize. In just 5 years, he had 15,000 volunteers on the ground in nearly 50 nations, and Peace Corps was the darling of the American media. It was at once America's culture and counter-culture. It was a political statement against war but existed outside the breaking dichotomy of party politics. It was the rare label that even those against the establishment embraced.
Though I never met Sarge, I know he would have wanted us to use his passing away as a chance to propel the Peace Corps to greatness again. Before he developed Alzheimer's disease which he fought with incredible grace, he spoke at Yale University in 2002 as a vociferous critic of the Peace Corps, saying it had not gone far enough and had become mired in bureaucracy and protocols.
As an example of the lackluster administration of Peace Corps, even today, it takes nearly a year to get in. Peace Corps loses thousands of qualified candidates by making them wait a near-eternity for an acceptance. It's time for us to challenge the agency itself, as Sarge did, even as we advocate for greater funding.
The new Peace Corps leadership, has had two years to bring reform but has not delivered. Many people have researched and documented what needs to be done but Peace Corps has not listened. Even in terms of growth, Peace Corps has announced it will stall out at just 9,500 volunteers. Rather than challenge the Obama Administration when it issued a directive to freeze the number of volunteers, they followed suit and did what they were told. Sarge never would have done that, especially if he had a third of the United States Congress endorsing a $100 million increase in 2012. He would have called everyone he knew in power to challenge that directive. While it's true he had the advantage of being President Kennedy's brother-in-law, we all have advantages in life but the question is whether we learn to use them.
One of the things that has frustrated me in this campaign is the lack of tolerance for subtlety and nuance within Congress and the media. I feel we can advocate for both robust growth and robust reform of the administration, and now is the time to shift in that direction. If anything, the problems should highlight the need for better funding, rather than obviate that need.
I along with thousands of others have been a champion of expanding the Peace Corps budget and remain so. Considering how much federal money is squandered, it's pitiful that we spend just $400 million a year on the Peace Corps, which is basically equal to the budget of the army marching band. As one Republican Senator said to me, we should sell an F-22 military plane and give that money to Peace Corps volunteers. It's condemnable that President Obama promised to double the budget to $750 million by the 50th anniversary in 2011 and did nothing. However, from this point on, I will also challenge the Peace Corps admin itself to deliver substantial and major reforms within the next 6 months. We will lobby the Peace Corps Director as hard as we push the Congress. I call on all people working within the agency to write me (rajeev@pushforpeacecorps.org) to tell me what problems you see and how they can be fixed. I will post your comments anonymously here and on PeaceCorpsWorldwide.org. If Peace Corps does not reform soon, we will call you out.
Sarge would have wanted it that way. ]]>Build a Better Worldtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.7391682010-09-25T12:28:51-04:002011-05-25T17:50:22-04:00Rajeev Goyalhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/rajeev-goyal/]]>Peace Corps Needs Senator Mikulski Tomorrowtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.6618652010-07-28T09:06:27-04:002011-05-25T17:10:24-04:00Rajeev Goyalhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/rajeev-goyal/
Taking the long view, investing in Peace Corps is smart. It creates employment, builds fluency in languages like Arabic and Mandarin, and trains a new generation of international experts and foreign service officers, all for a bargain cost. There is a lot of talk on Capitol Hill about "smart power" and "soft power" but when it comes to funding programs like the Peace Corps, lawmakers hesitate, or they do not understand how an extra $10 or $20 million dollars is transformative (it costs just $4 million for 100 fully funded volunteer positions).
Struggling to find a champion among the Democrat Appropriators, 15,000 Peace Corps applicants are counting on Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD), a supporter and friend of Sargent Shriver, the legendary first director of the Peace Corps, to push for the full amount or offer an amendment at tomorrow's mark-up.
Finding an offset could not be easier. The House version of the bill allocates nearly $1.8 billion for embassy security construction and maintenance. The walls of the American embassies could be made a few inches less thick and we could add a thousand volunteers and open up necessary programs in countries like Haiti.
This would be a wiser usage of precious tax dollars.
While Senate staff will tell you there has been a $2 billion cut in foreign aid funding, what they neglect to say is that the overall State and Foreign Operations budget is still more than $52 billion, nearly $4 billion more than last year. Amidst the cries of "there is no money," there is in fact lots of money but other programs have stronger lobbying forces behind them.
On the Republican side, former volunteers are looking to Senator Kit Bond (MO), arguably Peace Corps' greatest champion in the Senate today. It is a scarcely known fact that support for Peace Corps is totally bipartisan.
As a senior member of the committee, Senator Mikulski can make a difference. The House was able to pass this $446 million on June 30th with unanimous bipartisan support under similar funding constraints, and the Senate can do it too, but not without a champion on the majority side.
Call Senator Mikulski today at 202-224-4654 to ask her to hold the line for Peace Corps tomorrow.]]>Rep. Lowey Delivers a Nearly $50 Million Increase for Peace Corpstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.6322072010-07-01T10:45:19-04:002011-05-25T16:55:19-04:00Rajeev Goyalhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/rajeev-goyal/
To put this in perspective, Peace Corps gained an 11.5% increase amidst a 10% reduction in the President's request. While it was $19 million short of the funding mark endorsed by 124 bipartisan champions in Congress, the vote represents a remarkable confidence in the agency in austere economic times.
The official statement from the subcommittee acknowledged bipartisan support in Congress: "The committee is aware of the bipartisan interest in increasing the size and strength of the Peace Corps and, despite significant budget constraints, provides the President's budget request, $446 million, for the Peace Corps."
Rep. Lowey has been a key advocate of expanding the size of the agency. Last year, she provided a $60 million increase, the largest since 1961, adding 1,000 new trainees and three new Peace Corps programs in Sierra Leone, Indonesia, and Colombia.
The $46 million increase matches the second highest increase ever, which came back in 1963. That the highest and second-highest increases in Peace Corps history have come in the last two years as thousands of former volunteers, staff, and concerned citizens have come together engaging in advocacy is no accident. Without the pressure, there would likely have been no increase.
If approved by the Senate subcommittee, the $446.15 million budget would be enough to open new programs in Vietnam, Haiti, Tajikastan and Nepal, and increase the volunteer presence in China, Jordan, Rwanda, Ukraine, and other countries to meet demand from a growing number of interested applicants domestically. Aside from expansion, a portion of the funding will also support innovations in areas such as alternative energy and forestry.
Today, Peace Corps operates in 80 countries around the world with just $400 million. The volunteers live in homestays in communities in very modest and humble conditions, away from luxury and excess. They get about $100 per month, depending on which country, and the local communities support their stay. These factors make it a smart program.
Now, it is hoped that Rep. Lowey can protect the $46.15 million increase as it moves through the Senate and final conference report process. Without the leadership of Peace Corps' biggest proponent in public office today, Congressman Sam Farr (CA-17, Colombia 64-66), a senior member of the Appropriations committee, and his staff and interns, who rallied over 100 Congressional peers to support a $65 million increase, the Peace Corps budget would not have increased by near $50 million last night or $60 million last year.
The Peace Corps received more good news last week when Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-09) introduced HR 336, the Peace Stamp for the Peace Corps, which would issue an honorary semi-postal postage stamp to create revenue for Peace Corps activities through sales at a slightly higher rate than the standard 44 cents. The House Foreign Affairs Committee is expected to take up the legislation soon.
Peace Corps provides a strong return on the dollar. Congress should continue to invest in it and shore up the volunteer number as Rep. Lowey has done today. ]]>Rep. Lowey Decides the Future of the Peace Corpstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.6297092010-06-29T15:37:12-04:002011-05-25T16:55:19-04:00Rajeev Goyalhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/rajeev-goyal/appropriations subcommittee which she chairs, will decide whether or not to include a $65 million increase in appropriations for the Peace Corps, which would enable the agency to break 10,000 volunteers for the first time in 42 years.
Today, the cost of the Peace Corps is less than what America spends in one day prosecuting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Until very recently, the budget for the army marching band was more than that of the Peace Corps. Starved for resources, the Peace Corps is a remnant of its once vibrant presence across the world. But on the eve of the 50th anniversary, there is a special opportunity tomorrow to revive and strengthen it.
Demand has exploded and funding has not kept pace. Last year alone, 15,386 Americans vied for fewer than 4,000 positions, a 34% increase over 2008. Twenty new countries including Vietnam, a nation of 86 million people, have requested new programs. Existing programs in China, Rwanda, Indonesia, and many other countries need more resources but there is no budget and ministries are being told to wait.
Peace Corps is national service and if the demand is there from qualified applicants and interested countries, it is incumbent on Congress to provide the necessary funding.
The synchronicity in the timing of the historic vote tomorrow is telling. On the very day that Rep. Lowey decides whether or not to support the funding for 10,000 Peace Corps volunteers, over 6,000 volunteer leaders and public officials including Mayor Bloomberg will conclude the National Conference on Service and Volunteerism, in New York City, in which doubling of the of the Peace Corps will be a key platform presented before Congress.
Peace Corps enjoys remarkable bipartisan support because it is cost-effective and possesses ancillary language acquisition, diplomacy, and national security benefits. In fact, this year 124 bipartisan House Members signed a Dear Colleague Letter introduced by Democratic Congressman Sam Farr (Colombia 64-66) and Republican Congressman Tom Petri (Somalia 66-67) urging Rep. Lowey to support the $65 million increase.
Rep. Lowey and the 13 other subcommittee members must support the funding for 10,000 volunteers tomorrow to renew America's diplomacy and launch an exciting new beginning for the next fifty years of Peace Corps.
The PushforPeaceCorps.org campaign is asking all former Peace Corps volunteers to call Rep. Lowey's office at 202-225-6506 before 4 PM EST on June 30th to ask her to include the $65 million increase needed to break 10,000 volunteers on this historic anniversary. ]]>You Did It! A $60M Increase to Peace Corps. Now it's Back to Worktag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.4413192010-01-28T20:05:24-05:002011-05-25T15:20:23-04:00Rajeev Goyalhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/rajeev-goyal/
Because of you, for the first time since 2002, a Peace Corps re-authorization bill was passed by the Congress, with a very bipartisan vote (318 to 106). It passed because of 132 co-sponsors on the Peace Corps Expansion Act.
Ultimately, the final FY 2010 appropriation was $400 million -- $60 million above the FY 2009 funding level and $26.6 million over the President's ask.
This was the largest single increase since 1961, made possible by the leadership of Congressman Sam Farr, Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Congresswoman Kay Granger, Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Chris Dodd, and many others.
This appropriation is historic for another reason -- it is the highest amount above the President's request ever ($26.6 million), beating out the previous best of $16 million over President Reagan's 1988 budget request.
While the FY 2010 budget was a solid beginning, we have more work to do.
Why? The purchasing power of the Peace Corps is still about a third of what it was in 1966. The governments of 19 new countries want volunteers, but the agency cannot meet all the demand. The Peace Corps office received over 15,000 applications in 2009 (an 18 percent
increase over 2008), but less than 4,000 were sent into training. That's half the number of volunteers in 1966, when the population of America was only 180 million and the world population was only 3.4 billion.
We must take the Peace Corps out of the pit of politics, for it must always represent the world pulling together for peace. Let's ask, as legendary former Peace Corps Director,the late Lorret
Miller Ruppe once asked, "Is peace simply the absence of war? Or is peace the absence of the conditions that bring on war?"
Yesterday, during the State of the Union Address, the President proposed a three-year budgetary spending freeze. Obviously, this makes our job harder, but not impossible as the 150 account will not fall within the purview of the freeze.
Here's what PushforPeaceCorps.org needs you to do: On Monday, February 2, we will know President Obama's FY 2011 request to Congress. I'll let you know what it is. Over 130 Members of Congress are supporting $600 million to the Corps for FY 2011 -- the figure in Congressman Farr's bill. What will President Obama include? Time will tell.
On Wednesday of next week, a "Dear Colleague" Letter urging more funding in 2011 will begin circulating from Congressman Farr's office. You'll remember that Congressman Farr's letter last year got 97 signatures. We can do even better this year because we have more time, more experience, and more activists. Let's finally crack the atom of this twisty political process and get Peace Corps the resources it deserves on its 50th birthday. Relative to war expenditure it is dust in the budget that we are asking for.
PushforPeaceCorps.org will have a copy of the new Dear Colleague letter posted as soon as it's ready with instructions for contacting your Congressman or Congresswoman to sign up! If you can help with that, we can get the funding approved.
And in addition to pushing Congress, let's keep reminding the Administration that it was a campaign promise to double the Peace Corps by 2011. We can't let the President and VP off the hook on their promise to America and the world:
"To restore America's standing, I will call on our greatest resources -- not our bombs, guns or dollars -- I will call upon our people. We will grow the Foreign Service to renew our commitment to diplomacy. We will double the size of the Peace Corps by its 50th anniversary in 2011. And we will reach out to other nations to engage their young people in similar programs, so that we work side by side to take on the common challenges that confront all humanity."
-- President Barack Obama, Speech at Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa, December 5, 2007
Congratulations once again on $60 million! You did it! Now, let's do it again.]]>What Happened to the Promise of 16,000 Peace Corps Volunteers by 2011?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2009:/theblog//3.3796092009-12-03T22:39:16-05:002011-05-25T14:50:26-04:00Rajeev Goyalhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/rajeev-goyal/
There was a time when the Peace Corps was just an idea. Today it is a force -- far more than a gesture of good will. Since 1961, over 60,000 volunteers in Africa, for instance, have made immeasurable contributions in fighting HIV/AIDS, bringing potable water access and food stability to African villages, protecting the environment, and teaching millions of African children to read and write. Volunteers, who are not symbols of status, are America's best ambassadors.
During your Presidential campaign, you pledged to double the number of Peace Corps volunteers to 16,000 by 2011. But you did not provide the funding in your fiscal year 2010 budget. As you know, fiscal year 2010 is the budget which will determine how many volunteers serve in 2011. Your budget increase, $34 million, would add a few hundred volunteers (but not the 8,400 needed to reach 16,000). The House of Representatives acted to correct this oversight by increasing funds to the Peace Corps by $110 million, a historic increase that would bring the budget to $450 million.
We write today to ask you, Mr. President, to speak to Senator Patrick Leahy and Representative Nita Lowey, who chair the Senate and House State/Foreign Operations subcommittees, to pass the House mark for Peace Corps.
Today, you will be shocked to know that the Corps is half the size it was in 1966.
The cost of gas has gone up nine times since 1966, but the Peace Corps budget has only tripled (from $105 million to $340 million).
But the clearest proof of the enduring vitality of the Peace Corps mission is the demand. Over 20 nations want Peace Corps programs and applications have increased by 35% to 15,386 in 2009. It remains one of the strongest brand names in the world, an iconic symbol of hope and moral courage.
But in 2009, 500 trainee positions were cut. As demand soars, positions are being lost.
At a time when the job market is difficult and people are struggling to find jobs or even internships or volunteer opportunities, why are we cutting the number of Peace Corps volunteers? But this situation can be corrected with your help.
It would take just one call from you.
Yesterday, you pledged an additional 30,000 troops in Afghanistan. This will cost America $30 billion. The amount of money we need for the Peace Corps is $110 million - less than .01% of the cost of the 30,000 soldiers.
From 1962 to 1979, 1,652 men and women served in Afghanistan but today there is not a single Peace Corps volunteer in South Asia.
Not one among the 1.5 billion people of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
What we are asking would take just a few minutes.
Senator Patrick Leahy is a champion of the Peace Corps, a believer in its mission and he is helping build a bigger, better, bolder Peace Corps, but he already has in his State/Foreign Operations bill the full amount you requested - $374 million.
Sen. Leahy's bill has millions of dollars less to work with than the House of Representatives version, but he is still trying to help and is coming up as best he can. He needs to hear from you about your support for the House figure.
In 2011, the world will celebrate 50 years of Peace Corps. This will be a spotlight moment when millions will learn more about what it is, what volunteers have done since, and how to apply -- applications could come pouring in and the funding crisis for Peace Corps could deepen. Inspired by the legendary stories of Directors Sargent Shriver and Jack Vaughan, thousands more will apply, young and old. Peace Corps will undergo a renaissance. This budget, which will be decided in days, is therefore even more critical.
Congressman Sam Farr (Colombia 64-66), has been our leader. He was super-delegate who was promised that you would double the Peace Corps by 2011 (he requested you to triple). Thanks to his efforts, one hundred thirty-two Members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats, are on his bill, the Peace Corps Expansion Act 2009. It calls for $450, $600, and $750 million in fiscal years 2010, 2011, and 2012. Senator Dodd's Bill, which has 13 co-sponsors, also has $450 million for FY 2010.
Many of the least developed nations in Africa have no Peace Corps workers today. We can change that. You can change that.
These are nations ravaged by HIV/AIDS like Central African Republic, Eritrea, Somalia, Zimbabwe, and Guinea-Bissau. The average lifespan in Zimbabwe is 37 for women, 34 for men. There is poverty in these nations that we cannot even imagine. But brave Peace Corps volunteers are trying to help.
Many of the existing Peace Corps programs have far too few volunteers. For example, there are just 11 in Madagascar, 28 in Georgia, 54 volunteers in all of Mexico, 72 in Cambodia, and 30 in Jordan.
Thank you for nominating an outstanding new Peace Corps Director, Aaron Williams (DR 66-69). Director Williams, who managed a billion-dollar program in South Africa for USAID and twice received the Distinguished Service Medal, is the visionary leader we needed to build the 16,000-volunteer Peace Corps. Thank you so much.
I know that each day you read a handful of letters from people in America. I hope you read ours today. I hope you call Senator Leahy about the Peace Corps this weekend. I hope you include $600 million for fiscal year 2011 - the budget in Congressman Farr's Bill, which already has 132 co-sponsors.
Thank you so much, Mr. President. We are grateful for anything you can do. If you cannot help now, then please provide at least $600 million in fiscal year 2011 for sure.
I would like to end with a quote.
"To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it."
This was not President John F. Kennedy in 1961 but you, President Obama, in 2009.
Sincerely,
Rajeev Goyal
Peace Corps Volunteer/Nepal 01-03]]>Kennedy's Kids Then, Obama's Kids Nowtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2009:/theblog//3.1598832009-01-21T22:37:35-05:002011-11-17T09:02:45-05:00Rajeev Goyalhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/rajeev-goyal/
The first recollection happened around 3 PM. Someone had just read on her Blackberry that something was wrong with Ted Kennedy. The Peace Corps volunteers, carrying majestic 10-foot flags from 139 countries spontaneously started huddling together - in part because we were freezing, but also because Senator Kennedy's health was heavy on our minds. We stopped complaining about the cold and our thoughts went to thinking the parade would be canceled. Some wanted to know if we would still be on TV. Then, another former volunteer was on the phone with his dad who was watching CNN, and said that Barrack and Michelle Obama were on Twelfth Street. We started getting into position, excited. Next from blocks away we heard cheering that shook the ground - the president and first lady were just minutes away from the viewing station. The first of three moments I will remember from yesterday happened shortly after this. Harris Wofford showed up wearing a Peace Corps cap, with his two grandsons, one of whom was wearing the AmeriCorps red jacket. I looked back and saw some of the older Peace Corps volunteers point at Harris and tear up and it was because decades ago Harris, who was the special director to Africa and personal advisor to President Kennedy, had come to their villages, trained them, shown them the way. And he was here again to show us the way through this cold.
The kids from a middle school marching band in the contingent in front of us, picked up their trombones and started playing a tune I recognized but now can't remember. As the kids played, Harris, who was carrying the Peace Corps banner, began dancing. Not just moving back and forth - he started spinning around and dancing with Peace Corps volunteers. That is the first moment that I'm thinking about today.
The second moment came when we actually started marching. As we turned onto Pennsylvania Avenue, people from all over America were looking at us. I've never quite experienced anything like that. I started waiving back and smiling. You couldn't help it. Then, person after person started raising their fists and cheering, "Peace Corps!!" and "Thank you!!" One person even said, "More Peace Corps. Yes we can." There was a woman jumping up and down crying. The Peace Corps contingent walking in unison, a sea of flags perfectly horizontal in the 20 MPH wind, was hope. Then, three men in yellow jackets and red backpacks came running up to us and added even more hope. I recognized two of them - Mark and Tim Shriver. Tim was wearing black sunglasses. I couldn't believe how much his smile reminded me of Sarge. So positive and bold. They waived to the Peace Corps volunteers with one hand on Harris' shoulder. Their jackets were bumblebee yellow - they were marching with the Special Olympics, which Tim Shriver leads. I wanted to say hello but I felt shy and held on tighter to the Peace Corps banner.
That wasn't the second moment I am thinking about today. The second moment came later when the Shrivers (the third man was Tim's son I think, maybe Mark's son), ran back to take their positions in the Special Olympics contingent. We turned another corner and I saw Mark Shriver, who was now standing with the children in Special Olympics group about 100 meters ahead, looking back at us. The expression on his face was full of so much emotion. Because of my angle, I could see it very clearly. He was overwhelmed by the sea of flags. The Peace Corps was marching again. That look was the second moment I'll remember from yesterday. I think Mark wanted to remember the image of the flags in his mind forever. It was an image of how one person had changed the world and the inner world of all of the marchers - and it was his own father.
The Obamas and Bidens were in a giant heated white cube with a poster on it that said "President of the United States" in cursive letters. It was getting a bit darker, and the crowds were getting bigger and bigger as we approached the viewing station, louder too. Then it happened - the third moment I will never forget from yesterday's parade. This one also has to do with Harris Wofford. As we came closer, I saw the new President and First Lady and the Bidens. They looked so beautiful and happy. When they saw us, they seemed warmed. But then, President Obama saw Harris and he started pointing excitedly and telling Michelle and Joe Biden and then they started pointing too and telling others in the room that Harris was there. The new President looked at Harris Wofford with his characteristic smile, only the look was different, more peaceful and nostalgic. I wonder if he was remembering traveling around the country with Harris during the campaign hearing Peace Corps stories. Whatever he was thinking, the President was emotional. He was completely fixated on Harris. I wish I had seen Senator Wofford's face but I was so focused on the glowing cube and Obama's smile and trying to absorb what it all meant.
Then, they all saw the sea of flags and they leaned forward to see all of us, and I really don't think they were expecting we would have such tall flags. I knew that we were now Obama's kids being ushered in by Kennedy's kids. I knew then that President Obama is going to do something great for the Peace Corps.
