The Parade: New York City
by Andrew Sarewitz
I can’t remember the year. Sometime in the early 1990’s. It was a Sunday, toward the end of June. Hundreds of thousands of people. I didn’t march every time, since I almost always worked on Sundays, but this particular year I walked down Fifth Avenue in New York City to celebrate Gay Pride.
I didn’t enter from the uptown starting point. I had only intended on watching from the sidewalk with the crowds of spectators. I broke through at 42nd Street and decided to walk. I was by myself.
The weather was threatening. Grey clouds and the scent of impending rain was constant. But it staved off as the floats and bands and half naked men and drag queens and political groups marched down Fifth Avenue toward the arch designed by Stanford White at Washington Square Park, where the parade would turn west off of Fifth Avenue toward Christopher Street and the Hudson River.
I was at 26th Street when the hordes of marchers began to stop. For fifty blocks from the front of the parade up to south east corner to Central Park, all life stood still to say a prayer for those who had fallen to AIDS. 1 O’Clock PM. Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children in the streets and on the sidelines of Fifth Avenue joined hands and bowed their heads for a moment of silence. It was so still in the center of Manhattan, you could hear birds cooing and people breathing.
As the quiet set in, the heavens parted and the sun broke through, sending streams of light, soundless and blinding, washing over the collective prayer. It was ethereal. A moment later, the clouds closed in, blocking the sunlight for the rest of the day. The parade resumed, joyous and proud. I’m not a religious man but it felt as if God was saying “I know.” It was otherworldly.
26th Street. That has stayed in my memory because it’s where Stephen lived before leaving the city to die one day after his 33rd birthday, in the Massachusetts port town, where he was raised.
I won’t forget the sixty seconds of sunlight breaking through. I can’t be the only person to have memorized that grace. I suppose it doesn’t matter, but I wish I could recall the year. From the mass of witnesses that day, I hope someone remembers.
Andrew has written several short stories: (website address: www.andrewsarewitz.com) as well as scripts for various media. Mr. Sarewitz is a recipient of the 2021 City Artists Corp Grant for Writing. His play, Madame Andrèe (based on the life of Nancy Wake, the “White Mouse”), garnered First Prize from Stage to Screen New Playwrights in San Jose, CA, opening the festival in August 2019. Produced with a multi-cultural cast and crew. His play Five Men, Four Beds advanced to the Second Round at the Austin Film Festival Competition. Andrew’s script, The White House is a Finalist in the Pitch Now Screenplay Competition.