They come from as near as the Western suburbs and as far away as California. I was almost convinced that life was getting back to normal. Normal was where we were the day before the tragic terrorist attack on our nation. Had I not been running late Wednesday morning, I would have parked my car at the L station and hopped on the train as I normally do. Acaller confided a nagging thought last week that she seemed embarrassed to even admit.
History has a way of repeating itself.
Yet, we often rush headlong into committing the same acts that made us ashamed in the past. Like children who follow bad examples, some of us naively think we can escape the same horrible result. Frankly, patriotism hasn't been part of my experience. That is the impact racism has had on countless black Americans. It is impossible for a people to live through periods of slavery, lynching, segregation, unfair treatment and bigotry and emerge bursting with national pride.