Happy Things

sugar magnolia · #252

Can you give us a synopsis please? Not up to logging in on wapo.

#253

This photo was taken by a WP photographer who happened by and took the photo, but no one really knew what it was about. It did make the news, but still no one really knew. It turns out that it was a group of young people who came to DC in the late 60s for jobs in government. They became close and held elaborate celebrations. They celebrated each other's successes and supported each other's hardships.

This one was a party in honor of one of the young women who had just received a diagnosis of incurable breast cancer. She died several years later.

The daughter of the original photograph found it after his death and a year ago, she met one of the participants and eventually found out the story.

“It was a way of us saying we knew she wasn’t going to live forever, so you might as well do something spectacular now so she could enjoy it,” Whalen said. “And she did. And we all did. It was our way of celebrating being alive — and together.”

(Same link as above.)

I'm not doing it justice. It's a beautifully written piece.