11th Grade Economics Class…….I walk in, there’s a TV in the front of the room. My friend Lorenzo and I see an airplane sticking out from the side of a smoking building. As teenagers we downplayed the severity of the situation, thinking some idiot flew into a building, clueless as to what actually happened. What followed was pure shock, anger and helplessness. The most traumatic event in my life at the time is unfolding in front of my eyes.
I got home and was not only mortified by the days turn of events… but to also learn that singer Aaliyah died in… a plane crash.
The shooting death of Timothy Thomas in my hometown of Cincinnati Ohio earlier that year was still fresh and now America is under attack, and a war starts.
Just like 2017 there was more than one disaster and fiasco… Over 49 weather strikes have touched down this year alone. We’ve lost musicians and public figures. Civil unrest rises again in the United States as Police incidents sprout at an alarming rate. Even a rocky start ushering in a new elected POTUS.
What did I learn? We all are important. All of us are valuable. We all go through disasters. Also; we are all in this together. As much as our differences as a society have been highlighted we stand together.
To the victims and survivors of hurricanes Irma and Harvey, we stand with you. Those taken and stricken on September 11th, 2001, we are with you. We love you, stay strong, peace be with you.
With love,
Endy and the EMCEE team
