Between President Donald Trump’s inauguration and the widely publicized Women’s March, the weekend saw hundreds of thousands of new faces in the Washington, D.C. area.
While there were a lot of passionate people, both the inauguration and march went surprisingly well. There was only one, very small group of aggressive protestors. They arrived on Friday but were unable to turn the otherwise peaceful atmosphere.
Having said that, the air was full of tension as anti-Trump signs and defiant messages were chanted.
With such high tensions, Rosalynd Harris, and African-American waitress at Busboys & Poets in D.C., who had been very passionate and active when she took part in the Women’s March, was a little apprehensive when she noticed three white men sit down at one of her tables. She didn’t have a clue what kind of treatment she was in for.
Even with these stigmas in place, she decided to treat them as she would any other customers – with a winning smile. They returned her smile in kind and told her they were in D.C. all the way from West Texas.
As it turned out, one of the men was a dentist, and he complimented Rosalynd on her beautiful smile.
The 25-year-old Rosalynd told The Washington Post that she had assumed that they were there for the rally and that they were Trump supporters. But she decided to treat them just like any other customer, all the same.
Much to her relief, there was no rude behavior, no uncouth remarks, and no talk about politics – just good service, respect, and laughter.
By the time they finished up with their meals, the bill came out to $72.60. But the men didn’t leave the usual 15% tip – instead, they left her a whopping $450 tip, along with a note.
“We may come from different cultures and may disagree on certain issues, but if everyone would share their smile and kindness like your beautiful smile, our country will come together as one people. Not race. Not gender. Just American… God Bless!”
Of the interaction, Rosalynd told The Washington Post:
“You automatically assume if someone supports Trump that they have ideas about you… but [the customer is] more embracing than even some of my more liberal friends, and there was a real authenticity in our exchange.”
She went on to explain that the huge tip couldn’t have come at a better time. Rosalynd is a professional dancer and had been forced to pick up a second job waitressing just to help make ends meet. She had even been picking up extra shifts just to ensure that she’d have enough money to get a new apartment. She said that the extremely generous tip was a “huge weight off my shoulders,”. She continued, speaking to WaPo, “This definitely reshaped my perspective. Republican, Democrat, liberal are all subcategories to what we are experiencing. It instills a lot of hope.”
Unfortunately, the men left before Rosalynd could say anything to them about the tip, and they will likely continue to remain anonymous. But one thing is for sure – she will never forget their incredible act of generosity.