Families Belong Together

Bonjour tout le monde!  I’m still working out the details on my upcoming trip.  I can’t believe I fly out next week!  And just like clockwork, my nerves have been getting the best of me.  I’ve been having vivid dreams as well.  Nothing bad, thank god.  But it shows you how much stress I’m bringing on myself with my non-stop anxiety.  Unfortunately, I have come to realize that this will always be the process with me whenever I travel.  I thought by now it would get easier, but it hasn’t.  The only positive thing I can say is that my nerves have started to bother me as the dates get closer to fly out.

Back to recapping my summer!  My friend asked me if I would be interested in the Families Belong Together March back in June.  I was very bothered with what was going on and felt the only way to let out my frustration was to be surrounded by like-minded individuals who were just as upset as I was.  By this time, not much was happening since there was denial coming from our president, so people took it out to the streets by protesting varies cities.  Me and my friends drove downtown and met at a building nearby so we could have a good group going.  It was a very hot day, and we all wore white to show our solidarity for immigrants. 

I have to say some people got very creative with their posters!  It was nice to voice my freedom of speech and march along with my friends.  Afterwards, we grew very hungry and headed to Big Star for some tacos.  Lol.  I headed home because I was exhausted, but later met up with some friends in Wrigelyville.  That’s what happens in a summer day in Chicago.  You can end up all over the place…

Women's Day March

After resting on MLK it was back to work.  We are still trying to adjust to the new changes and have been busy ever since.  The news media were covering the transition of the Obama administration to the president-elect Trump nonstop.  It was getting overwhelming.  I did not watch the inauguration that Friday.  I wanted to ignore everything that was happening.  My friend asked me Thursday night if I wanted to go with her and her friends to the Women’s March downtown on Saturday.  I declined.  I really wanted to sleep in late.

But after seeing the riots break out on the news after the inauguration, I felt completely helpless.  People were frustrated and I knew there must be another way to voice our opinions.  I called up my friend and told her I would go with them.

My mom was upset with me.  For some reason, she was not aware of what the march was really about.  She felt I might get into some type of trouble.  The news were covering the riots and it made her nervous.  She even hung up on me.  I was hurt, mostly because she never gave me the chance to explain myself.  Like I said, we have not always had the best relationship and this brought back memories of our difficult times together.  I had to let it go.

The next day I met up with my friend at the Blue line stop at Logan.  There were floods of people jumping on the trains.  I was moved.  It was comforting to know that people were coming together peacefully to march for women’s rights.  We got off at Jackson and walked over with the rest of our group down to Grant Park.  I felt empowered to be around so many parents with their little girls displaying their banners and waving them freely.  I WISHED my mom was with me!  Whether these little girls knew it or not, they were learning to speak up when it came to injustice.  What a wonderful lesson to learn! 

I will never forget this day.  It was a first for me, but it was something I felt I had to do to.  Feeling helpless dragged me down here, but it left me feeling hopeful.  We will be heard, whether you like it or not.  Freedom of speech at its finest!