(Editor’s Note – Normally reporters are asked to avoid writing in first person. Since The Village Reporter lightly covers National News (focusing on Local News instead), Cory Johnson was asked to make an exception to the rule and share his personal observations. Johnson is a student at Wauseon High School and will have a large coverage spread within next week’s edition of The Village Reporter.)
Make America Great Again Welcome Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial featuring performances by country superstar Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down, various military bands, and others. (Photos by Cory Johnson)
By: Cory Johnson
The Village Reporter
As I walked down Pennsylvania Avenue, there was a certain feeling in the air. Not a feeling of frustration, mourning, hate, or hopelessness that have seemed to captivate and fuel the partisan passion of the majority of America in the past year. No, it was a strange feeling, one that I had not felt in the presence of for a while.
When I talked to Senator Sherrod Brown (D) and Representative Latta (R), I felt it again. When they discussed their bipartisan fight against the opioid epidemic and the value of each of us as individual Americans, I started to wonder if maybe, just maybe, the new atmosphere wasn’t a fluke?
Standing next to thousands of Americans in the face of Abraham Lincoln’s memorial while everyone in sight spontaneously belted out “America the Beautiful” in harmony, the feeling seemed to envelope the entire crowd. Yet, what was the feeling? What was causing people to rush past with a new attitude about them? It was hope. It is patriotism. It will be unity.
These principles are far from extinct in our county today. While my first day in Washington DC was promising, today, all eyes and ears will be on the Trump administration, listening to what he believes is next for the American people. Regardless of what he declares, many Americans, across all aisles and borders, have seemed to find the oh so glorious courage to hope again. It’s a new day in America, indeed.
Cory Johnson may be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com.