Never Forget

It can be agreed that there is something wrong with a country where some of its citizens believe it a crime that everyone should have healthcare. Now I am a highly opininated person - but I'll tone down much of my personal perspective by simply saying that I believe the passage of healthcare reform is far bigger that we all can fully understand right now. A huge precedent continues its momentum moving forward with a central theme - equality for all - be it for healthcare, equality for the LGBT community - equality for 'immigrants'. I suppose when there is a perception that civil/human rights is somehow undermining capitalism and its underpinings - there is something else at work. And we don't have to look very far to see what that something else might be. Like the images I posted above and many of the others we've been exposed to from the earlier town hall rallies to present day on the Capitol - these images touched me in an intensely personal way. I'd like to share an experience with you.

I grew up in the Bronx where the Whitestone and Throggs Neck bridges converge. It was (and remains) a predominately white neighborhood where the blacks/latinos and a mixture of whites were segregated in one small section. It was the seventies. The relationships between Blacks/Latinos and the Italians, Irish and some Jewish was tense but for the most part, somewhat civilized (short of the mini race riot of 73 - another story for another time.) Because you see, as long as the people of color in the community patronized white businesses - whites were receptive to taking our money. In other words, we were tolerated. Tragically, a few decades later things have not changed in that area in the Bronx. See article below.

Edgewater and Silver Beach Gardens accused of discriminatory practices.

So one morning my brother and I are taking the bus to school. It's a morning like any other - many of the kids of color take the public buses to school, mixed with residents, morning commuters and other white kids - who for some reason can't walk to school, don't drive to school or other reasons. My brother and I always stand at the middle of the bus for an easy exit. On this day we were half way to school when we hear a commotion at the front of the bus. It was somewhat crowded but what I saw was a young black girl, younger than me, arguing with a pair of older white women. The ladies apparently asked the young girl to give up her seat and she refused. Naturally I noticed it was an unfair advantage that two adults were arguing with a young girl but when some of the other women on the bus joined in the argument and things were being said that should not be said to young children, in fact - to any one for that matter, I became frightened, just frozen with fear. Nigger, dirty nigger came out of these women's mouths in thick accents, which made the girl cower and cry. When they started to spit on her - globs of spit and mucous dripping from her face, in her hair, her clothing, I grabbed my brothers hand moving quickly toward the front of the bus, wrapping the young girl in my arms and demanding the bus driver let us off. And he did, right in the middle of the street. I will never, ever forget that moment for as long as I live.

So watching the news and videos of those people taunt and use hurtful, hateful words, threatening bodily harm, and excreting body fluids from their foul mouths to our government officials - it took me back to that moment in time on that bus in the Bronx. Back then, as an Eighth grader - if you told me that I would witness a Black President in my lifetime - I would have never believed you. But now that President Obama is in office - I have to say that I am not in disbelief over the actions of a very vocal, destructive point of view that still lives in America and might very well be thriving. There is some change we can believe in. But, unfortunately, some things never change.