Hands Across America in 1986

I took part in Hands Across America.

On Sunday, May 25, 1986 my aunt took my little brother into Manhattan to take part in an incredibly historical moment. At that age, we had no clue it was so momentous. All we knew was that we were going into the city to hold hands with strangers in what was called Hands Across America.

On the ride in, my aunt told us that people all over the world would be involved. Little did I realize that almost seven million people were involved in holding hands for about fifteen minutes, forming a line spanning 4,152 miles from New York City to Long Beach, California.

According to Wikipedia, "Hands Across America raised $34 million, and shortly thereafter, triggered the release of $800 million in aid from the Federal government that had been approved by Congress, but had yet to be released by President Reagan." Organized by activist Ken Kragen, Hands Across America involved celebrities ranging from Dudley Moore to Michael Jackson to John Stamos representing states all over the USA and me, a thirteen-year-old kid from Long Island.

The following song "Hands Across America" was played simultaneously on hundreds of radio stations in America at 3 PM EST while everyone held hands. It was amazing!