As the old saying goes, journalists write the rough drafts of history books. Last Friday, I had the opportunity to experience history in the making in Cass County.

Of the many facets of my job that I love, moments like these are at the top of the list. I feel blessed to participate in any event salient in history, as was the wedding of the Rev. Benjamin Hutchison and his husband, Monty.

As I participated in the ceremony taking notes and shooting photography, I was overwhelmed by the emotions of everyone in attendance.

I saw people overcome by the joy that accompanies any wedding ceremony, wiping the tears off their cheeks as they beamed ear to ear.

I saw people filled with anger, expressing their frustrations with the United Methodist Church.

I felt the emotion of the crowd, electrified with the sounds of hymns and “amens.”

I saw people afraid for their pastors who were risking their jobs by supporting the union.

I saw the dance of reporters, moving seamlessly from place to place to get the best photo or video clip.

I saw hugging and hand shaking, smiling and crying, elderly parishioners and young children.

Most commonly though, I saw pride.

Despite the anger, fear, confusion or even lack of understanding, people representing a wide range of backgrounds, ethnicities, generations and genders gathered around the Cass County courthouse. The mood was positive, and everyone in attendance surely seemed to support the reverend and his wedding.

Despite the controversy and disagreement in regards to same sex marriage — or maybe even because of it — it is our responsibility to report these events, and our duty to illustrate as many details as possible so that decades from now our ancestors can learn about what could turn out to be a pivotal moment in the history of southwest Michigan.

Just think of where we would be today if nobody recorded detailed facts the day President Kennedy was assassinated, if we didn’t have photographs of the march at Selma, if our forefathers hadn’t written about the wars that made us the country we are today.

Though the wedding Friday may not have quite the magnitude of those events, the impact on the community was quite evident in the crowd, and I’m happy to have had the opportunity to experience it.

One hundred years from now, I hope our descendants will look back at the local media’s coverage of the wedding — and countless other events that we report on daily — and are as moved by the images and the details reported by media outlets like ours as I was Friday.

 

Ambrosia Neldon is the managing editor at Leader Publications. She can be reached by phone at (269) 687-7713, or by email at ambrosia.neldon@leaderpub.com.