An Unforgettable Photo...

...and the Back Story and Life Lesson Behind It

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

- Maya Angelou

Of all the photos taken amid my time chairing the state party in Ohio, this may be the one my team and I remember the most.

Still today. (We’ve been talking about it the past few days).

Here’s why…

We were honored to host a lot of important political figures over the years. Wonderful public servants who shared powerful words and showed our team and guests and candidates grace and respect.

Over that time, one of our most prominent guests was then-Senator Kamala Harris. In 2018, she visited Ohio many times (as much as any non-Ohio political figure that year). She came to help Sherrod Brown, and our other candidates. (That was the year we flipped two Ohio Supreme Court seats, and she understood the importance of those races too).

The highlight of her visits was that she keynoted our big dinner in the fall…which we called the State Dinner. As you’d expect, she drew a huge crowd, gave a great speech, but she also had a tight schedule. So the plan was that when she wrapped up, she would leave the venue through the back to get to her next stop.

One important context: our state dinners fell late in the campaign cycle, September time frame. The good news is that they pumped people up and raised critical support as we hit the homestretch. But it also meant they came when campaign and party staff were working incredibly hard, and were tired and stressed. And of course, it was also a lot of work to put the dinner itself together. And while guests focus on the candidates and the hype videos and the speeches and the good company, most of the staff’s hard work is behind the scenes. It’s work that few people see. (And BTW, the team in that photo was damn good at it.)

Knowing this, we asked Senator Harris’s team if we could snap a quick photo with our hard-working staff as she was whisked out for her next stop. We knew how much they would appreciate that moment with this new, superstar Senator. Her very able team (as organized and easy to work with as any we encountered) was quick to say yes.

So, as the Senator wrapped up her speech and headed off stage, the group you see above gathered in this back hallway for our exciting photo. All positioned for the big moment.

But then something happened…

….Senator Harris didn’t stand with the team and face the camera for the photo.

No, she instead faced them.

She stood in front of the group of exhausted staff who’d all scurried off to the back room for this photo, and she looked them in the eye, and she thanked all of them. For 10 minutes, she told them that she understood how hard they were working and how she knew that much of that work could be thankless. Stressful. Exhausting. And then she told them she honored that work, and reminded them that everything they were doing was about public service, and part of a higher calling.

She looked them in the eyes and thanked them again.

And then we snapped this photo.

So when you look at the enthusiasm captured in the picture—and you’ll see it on every face when you look closely—it’s not the enthusiasm of people who just grabbed a quick selfie with an important person as that person rushed by.

That’s the look that comes when a leader stops, and takes the time to sincerely see you, talk to you, and thank you for work you are doing that most people don’t see or appreciate. And that’s what Senator Harris, naturally and on her own, took the time to do that night.

And my guess is that’s why, of all the things the wonderful people in that photo have worked on in their years in politics, (many have now moved onto other important work beyond politics), and of the many photos we have all been in, this is one we will never forget.

That’s why George Clark, the young intern from Youngstown, smiling two heads to the left of the current Vice President, tweeted today that this photo sits on his desk still today.

It’s why our comms director Kirstin Alvanitakis (who was working so hard she couldn't even get to the photo) wrote: “VP Kamala Harris was a great speaker and incredibly kind. (Also seeing this pic made me incredibly emotional. Love so many people here).”

That’s why others from this team reached out and said my description of the photo had them remembering that evening in tears.

And it’s why Sam Melendez, of Bowling Green, whose head is hidden in the far back right corner, remembered the night so clearly, he reminded me of one other thing that followed this photo.

What happened next?

In Sam’s words (which he tweeted):

“This was my first State dinner working for ODP. Everything David said is true. Something he didn’t mention is right after her speech, we couldn’t find her for a few minutes. When we did, she was in the back thanking the hard working staff of the venue. She’s good people.”

I don’t know if there was a photo of taken from the minutes Sam described. Hopefully someone snapped some selfies. Either way, I have no doubt that all those folks remember that visit just as much as we do.

And are talking about it this week as well.

Please share this so people know who they have in their candidate for President.