Big Ten 75 Classmates and Guest:

Besides democracy, (which nowadays we are fighting hard to keep), there is a monarchy, oligarchy, dictatorship, and theocracy. When Benjamin Franklin was asked about the type of governmental constitution they adopted at that time, his response was “a republic if you can keep it. Now I want you to think about that for a minute and see where we are at in this day and time. Scary huh? Republic…..We the people…Right?

For the last several months, I have been out protesting, mobilizing, etc, and for some reason I found, with a few exceptions….few blacks. this protest, NO KING DAY to be exceptionally powerful. I have never seen so much diversity, in one place, at one time, in such a long time. Normally, without dating myself, when attending these events, there are older people attending these events. This time, the Train from La Jolla heading Downtown San Diego to the protest was packed like sardines with young people. Blew me away. Look ya’ll I was all up in their business just a giggling of what they were saying. We all were just that close. It was a delight. Hahahahahah. Normally I would be on the trolly listening to older white women looking directly at me, complaining about their grown children making 6 figures and living at home. Or seeing older white men staring, grinning as though they have to talk to me about whatever. Not Right now. I told my daughter, I am wearing my dark shades this time, because they don’t know my struggles. and that the only thing I feel we do have in common is our fight for democracy. I appreciate the jester, but I feel they’re talking to me because I am the only black person on the the train. I say to myself, please don’t ask me what I do for a living…please!!!! Don’t think I don’t look around to see a face in a crowd that looks like me. NOPE!!!! It can be a million people on the train, and they want to talk to me. You know what I find and that is you never know who is watching you also. Quickly, On my way home for a protest one day, back hurting, bra to tight, hips swinging from left to right and this white albino sits next to me, angry. There were seats everywhere else, but he chose to sit next to me. We exchange hello’s and immediately He started going off about this black guy who had assaulted him, now ya’ll know what came next……yup the N word. I told him I would appreciate if he did not use that word around me. He Ignored me, so I got up and walked away from him. As I walked from him, upset, pissed actually, two white chics asked me was I ok. I looked back, then asked were they talking to me, and both replied yes, and how sorry they were. I told them what had happened, and they kept saying how sorry they were. I told them I can handle myself, and to trust that. Again the only black girl at the trolly stop, but they notice me dealing with dude. And looking….not gonna lie pissed, and it showed, I guess. For now, I will be wearing dark shades. I hate when people say to me….Im sorry to hear what happened. In the back of my mind I say why are you sorry, is that how you feel too. But with the two white chics that approached me, come to find they were married to black men, with black children. one of them let me know on the ride home on the trolly by pulling out her phone and showing me pictures of their sons running the 100 and 4x100 track race. Before getting off the train, the one chic, who showed me her two black sons, had the nerves to say to me, it’s a shame there weren’t many blacks people protesting. When hearing that….I bit my tongue because I wanted to say to her….but where is your black husband? That’s the question you should be asking him, not me. See this is why I will be wearing dark shades for now own. I just want people to put things into perspective, is all I ask.
Why I find this NO KING DAY on Saturday 14, was truly an extraordinary event is for the reason everyone seems to understand exactly what is at stake. There were young, old, foreigners, LGBTQ, people with their pets, fathers with their daughters, Parents with their college kids, parents with their babies, UCSD graduates in their gowns, Veterans. Now there was one thing that bothered me and that is I could count the blacks on one hand, and this was downtown San Diego. There were over 60,000 protesters this time, jammed in every corner of the ave’s.
OK Im done. Can’t help but wonder…….though.
Anyone else attend any protest…would like to hear.

Jerlilia