Inauguration Day

It was great to attend Mayor Her's inauguration today with Ximena and Patrick!


I knew I would be choked up. I'm so proud of Kaohly Her, and the campaign she ran.

But it really hit me when the colors were presented, and the guy with the bagpipe led folks in, but at the end of the line was a group of Hmong veterans. And it struck me visually, instead of just intellectually, how much people originally from other countries have given so this country could succeed, and how poorly we have repaid them.


And then Mouks hit it out of the damn park with a poem she wrote for the event, presented with Tish Jones and Maria Isa, that was so full of love for the city.


And there were speeches and benedictions and all that, and then the oath of office (more tears, as her whole family was up there with her), and then Kaohly gave a powerful address surrounded by a group of awesome female trailblazers.


And the three points she made were so incredibly telling:

- Starting with protecting our city from unlawful federal action

- Moving on to the incredibly geeky-yet-important topic of budgets and deferred maintenance

- And ending with the idea that sure, she was the first woman/Asian-American/Hmong-American/refugee mayor Saint Paul has had, but the importance is not being the first, it's in opening up the doors for the the others

Plus as we left we got gift bags with cookies and a Mayor Her pin.

I'm so glad I went. I got to see tons of great people, Plus, the tone of the whole event was so authentic (even maybe a little awkward at times), so full of support, so truly diverse, so quietly strong.

LFG.



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