Thanksgiving Day Parade Restored My Faith in America

I watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and it restored my faith in America-- well, at least for a day. With headlines about walls and impeachment hearings, it's been hard to stay positive about the current state of the union. But watching the inclusivity and diversity in this year's parade performances and even in the commercials, gave me a lift I was not expecting.

A 12-year old African-American female rapper, a new Filipino host of Blue’s Clues, an overweight cheerleader in the front row of 600 other cheerleaders, LGBTQ broadway star, Billy Porter, an African-American 2019 Miss America, just some of the people who paraded down 34th street and made my heart smile. Although a product of high winds, even the lower-flying ballloons seemed to symbolize a parade that was more “down to earth." I loved it. 

Having "cut the cord" about a year ago, giving up cable for Hulu, Netflix and Amazon, it's been awhile since I watched live TV. Was it just me or did the TV commercials seem to include more women and people of color than usual? It was almost as if I was watching an alternate universe created to counter prevailing notions of intolerance. I love, loved all of the female empowerment ads. I watched a top female Verizon executive address a legion of field engineers with both authority and grace. I saw Anna Kendrick point out the gender bias in the song "My Favorite Things." I watched a little girl play Barbie dolls-- her dolls were students and she was a college professor, with the tagline "Anything is Possible."

Big props go to the organizers of this year's Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. It presented an America where all races, genders and abilities were seen and celebrated. It's the kind of America I wish we could see onscreen more often.