Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. ambassador who was controversially removed from her position after over 30 years of service by President Donald Trump, and who testified during the House of Representatives’ public impeachment hearings last week, was spotted visiting Blues Alley on Sunday night, one of the most popular jazz clubs in Washington D.C.
Yovanovitch, 67, whose brave words made even Representative Denny Heck tear up, was trashed online by the President during the hearing, and after what must’ve an incredibly stressful week, tried to quietly attend Arturo Sandoval’s show at Blues Alley. While moving back to her seat in the dark and crowded jazz club, a fellow audience member recognized her, and the entire crowd suddenly broke out into thunderous applause.
The heartwarming moment was captured on video and shared on Twitter by Lisa Dickey. She captioned the clip, “Spontaneous ovation tonight at a DC jazz club for #MarieYovanovitch. Grateful for your courage and integrity, Ambassador! #Impeachment #ImpeachTrump.” In the background, you can hear shouts of “Thank you!” and “I love you so much!” along with, “We’re so grateful.”
Well deserved applause for a truly courageous, tough as nails, patriot.
👏👏👏
#MarieYovanovitch
…and she has great taste in music! She was at the #ArturoSandoval show at my fav DC jazz club @bluesalley 👊🏼👊🏼
Yovanovitch, who first joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1986, served as an ambassador in several overseas posts, including Ottawa, Moscow, London and Mogadishu. She worked under three U.S. presidents: George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. She’s been awarded the Senior Foreign Service Performance Award six times and the Presidential Distinguished Service Award and the Secretary’s Diplomacy in Human Rights Award.
Yovanovitch’s Heartfelt Reception At Blues Alley Quickly Went Viral
And she continues to get applause and gratitude from a thankful country.
Thank you for your service, #MarieYovanovitch ! 👏🏽🇺🇸
A few hours after the video was first posted, it was viewed over 100K times. Users online were quick to share the video as they were so happy to see Yovanovitch being treated like a hero, and receiving the respect she deserves.
At Blues Alley, Yovanovitch, whose mother passed away a mere week prior to her scheduled testimony, appears in the video as if she just wanted to quietly attend Sandoval’s show, who’s a well known Cuban-American jazz trumpeter. Yovanovitch nodded her head in thanks and humbly returned to her seat, a move to encourage that everyone continue on with their evening.
Comments on the video included, “Seriously made me weep,” and “If I had been there, I would’ve stand and applauded as well.” While one user wrote, “I am in awe,” Dickey tweeted back, “So was I. And so was everyone in the club. I swear, if she had walked in with Beyonce, everyone would have screamed and run toward the Ambassador.”
Where Is Blues Alley Located?
Blues Alley
Blues Alley, which is located on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown, which is in the northwest part of Washington, has been a mainstay in the neighborhood for nearly five decades. In addition to a full dinner menu, they also serve specialty cocktails and drinks.
First opened in 1965, the famous jazz club offers live music almost every night, and numerous artists have recorded albums there, including Eva Cassidy, Max Roach, Stanley Turrentine, and Grover Washington Jr.
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