The Bernie craze

This photo marks the first time that I hosted a group of friends at my home after social distance rules were suggested at the onset of the pandemic. After some agonizing, my friends and I agreed to meet outside, with masks on, in order to honor Samara's birthday.

A mutual friend saw the photo after it was posted to social media and photoshopped Bernie Sanders into it. Sanders' earnest pose and simple clothing was praised on inauguration day (January 20, 2021) where he sat perched on a metal chair in the crowd. It was noted that he wore the mittens that a constituent knitted for him. This likeness spread like wildfire over the internet. With a seemingly unimpressed expression and paperwork in hand, to many, he personified the contrast between the outgoing administration's excess and the Biden/Harris ticket. It was almost as if he were watching history unfold on a brief lunchbreak.

The Biden inauguration was joyous for my friends and I. As women and mothers, we were thrilled about our new democratic president and we were particularly taken by the spirit of having a female vice president. We felt hopeful for the first time in four years. We felt free to assemble and we had really missed one another.

January 21, 2021

Carrie Blabac-Myers