Monday was the fullest day of the trip so far. I began the morning with the very cool opportunity to meet with members of the Manhattan DA Special Victims Bureau's Human Trafficking Response Unit. As I sat in their offices on Centre St., I was struck by how far we've come at Second Life of Chattanooga. From a very small, uncertain beginning, to sharing ideas and best practices with anti-trafficking professionals in our nation's largest city, our little org has definitely come a long way.
The meeting was very helpful, revealing that whether you're doing this work in Chattanooga or New York City, the day-in-day-out aspect of the work is much the same, both in terms of challenges and successes. I really appreciate the time that John and Jen took with me.
After the meeting I had some time on my hands, so I decided to walk over to the World Trade Center. I've not been to New York in 16 years, so the last time I was here, the Twin Towers were standing. The morning of my first trip to New York in 1984, I stood in Windows on the World at the top of the North Tower. The view was stunning. Of course, everyone who worked there on Sept. 11, 2001 didn't get out.
I've had some struggle about whether I wanted to visit the site at all. I went back and forth between my desire to pay my respects, but not wanting to contribute to sacred space becoming nothing more than a tourist attraction. Paying my respects seemed the stronger sentiment, so I walked over to the site.
Two large pools now mark the spots where the Towers stood. The names of everyone who died that die, including those who died at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, PA on flight 93, are engraved on the walls that encase the pools. I took time to read many of the names, thinking about who they were, who they left behind. Single white roses have been left at the site of many of the names.
In spite of the noise of traffic and the tourists visiting the site, I found myself feeling very quiet, even somewhat still. The site reminds me that when rage and hate collide with love and hope, love and hope always win, even if they're tattered and heart-broken. I decided at one point to not fight the tears that kept presenting themselves. It wasn't a flood, but the emotion was strong. Dear God, the least I could do in that moment and place was be vulnerable and open. It was an important time for me.
When I left the site I needed to put myself in a different head-space, so I just started walking. It's important to note that I arrived in New York last week just in time for their first heatwave of the summer, so walking around the city right now is not without its challenges. But, the day was beautiful and I love walking in cities, so off I went. The more I walked, the more I wanted to walk.
I'd never walked through TriBeCa, so I covered that on my hike (running into the actor Taye Diggs while I was there). Seeing New York at street level, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells that characterize the city is in my opinion the only way to experience it. I ended up walking all the way to Penn Station, at least 50 blocks. I was a bit tired, but felt like I'd given myself a gift.
A quick subway ride back to the apartment to clean up from my 50 block hike, then back into Manhattan for some dinner and that night's performance of "Princess Cut." I found GMT Tavern in the Village and had an excellent shepherd's pie. GMT is a neighborhood pub, literally one of those "where everyone knows your name" kind of places. I'll definitely be back there this week.
When I arrived at the theater I was told that the air conditioning was out, a big problem since it's been in the 90's every day with too much humidity. Water was handed out to the audience (our biggest audience so far) and everybody braved the elements. Of course, it was the actors and crew who were the truly brave ones, dealing with a tough environment, and doing so with passion and excellence. Our talkback following the show was outstanding, as my fellow panelists included an NYPD detective (Greg), who heads up his department's Human Trafficking Team, a Supervisory Special Agent from the FBI (Anthony), and the Training Coordinator (Grace) for DayOne, a New York non-profit serving survivors of trafficking.
The interaction between the panel and the audience may have been the best we've had in all of the shows we've done since the play premiered in Knoxville last year. In spite of the far-too-hot room, the talkback was energizing for everyone there. Grace, Greg, and Anthony even talked about how though they're professionals who work on this issue every day, regularly seeing things that can be very disturbing, the play was tough for them to watch, and that the story deeply impacted them. Once again, I am grateful for the favor continually shown Yellow Rose Productions and Second Life of Chattanooga concerning this very important play.
A full, long, gratifying day. I rode the train home that night once again full of gratitude and thankfulness. Tomorrow, Boston.
No comments:
Post a Comment