From Russian spies to email leaks and the appointment of a Twitter-happy real-estate-mogul reality star as president-elect, this has been one unorthodox election season. And the festivities surrounding inauguration night promise to be quite unconventional as well. While the Trump team scrambles to secure entertainment for their celebrations, Busboys and Poets is hosting an alternative inauguration ball at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. About 3000 people are expected to attend the Peace Ball: Voices of Hope and Resistance.
According to the event website, the purpose of the soirée is to celebrate the accomplishments and successes of the past four years while continuing to be the change we want to see in the world.
“It’s not really an inaugural ball, it’s more of a gathering of folks to have some joy and camaraderie and get energized for, I think, a very long and arduous road ahead of us,” Andy Shallal, owner of Busboys told the DCist.
The event boasts a guest list of celebrities, artists and activists such as Angela Davis, Alice Walker, Danny Glover, Melissa Harris-Perry and Van Jones. The $200 ticket includes food, an open bar, dancing and live musical performances including Esperanza Spalding, who will perform an original piece composed specifically for the event.
Museum exhibits will be open for viewing during the gala, and Shallal hopes that this will provide some insight and perspective on the "incredible amount of progress despite some of the bumps that we currently see and have seen."
This ball is one of many city-wide gatherings geared toward the overwhelming majority of D.C. residents who did not vote for Trump and don’t agree with his politics.
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