Oct 30 : Vote for the Black Guy

I can’t believe that I almost didn’t take this job because I was attached to the people where I was. It’s not that it’s the most amazing job ever but I enjoy it and it allows me to utilize more of my skills. This season of my life requires me to leave a lot of the things I don’t want to leave for something unknown. I never know if it is going to be better than what I left but I always know that God has me.

So the homeless guy on our block got arrested today. He was a special guy. No I never spoke to him, but I respected this cat. He built his own little house on the block. He made it out of cardboard boxes, old radiators, and plastic, whatever he could find. He even had a cot on the inside and a door. Yes a door. I saw him sitting at the door one day talking to another homeless guy like it was nothing. At night I would see he sweeping inside to make sure it was clean. Every morning he would pack up all the stuff and lean it against the wall. No one ever tried to steal his stuff and no one threw it away. It was almost like a street code. Well eventually the owner of the store where he was parked in front of called the police because he was getting fined for all the trash. So the police came and the garbage men came and threw away his house. I walked by many days wanting to take a picture of the house, but felt it a little intrusive and disrespectful so I didn’t.

It’s starting to get cold here. I know we haven’t even hit the dead of winter yet. I think the winter is going to make me grumpy. Snow is cute on TV and in movies but not to live in.
Have you ever heard of Black Solidarity Day? I hadn’t until my mom told me about it. I guess apparently people have been celebrating it for years and some people actually take off work to celebrate it. It is observed annually the day before Election Day where people of African descent abstain from social, political and economic affairs. It is based on the play by Douglas Turner Ward called “The Day of Absence.” In this play blacks literally disappeared. It was an effort to show people what the world would be like without black people. In New York it’s still pretty popular. I love learning about that type of stuff. I would’ve never known that.

So I know that everyone is not going to agree with what I write. This may be one of those comments. A lot of people have been going back and forth with people voting for Obama solely because he is black. Now this is what I have to say. I am not mad at any person over the age of 60 who is solely voting for him because he is black. To think of history and how some people have gone from seeing white and black signs on bathroom doors to having a part in electing a black president you can’t really be mad at them for doing so.

Now when it comes to the younger generations we have more of a responsibility because we have to live with the rewards and consequences of who we choose. It is important for us to know the issues and have an understanding of what is going on. All I’m saying is that if I was 60 or 70 I would probably vote for him just because he is Black.