And now…I look back and can’t believe it was I who did all that.

When I was in high school I was a little hot bed of political activism.  It all started when I was in the tenth grade and my wonderful teacher, Mr. Kakassy, sent me to Brotherhood/Sisterhood USA Camp.  This experience changed my life and put in check my already developed outlook on the world. 

After this summer experience, I became very politically active.  I marched in protests, I picketed, I did civil disobedience and sit ins.  I even was arrested. Twice!  Once was just a detention until the anti-first-Iraq-war broke up.  The police kicked us, yelled at us, dragged us, and locked us underneath the Federal building in their huge holding cell.

The other arrest however was very real.  I was part of a group that was quite active in the Anti Apartheid movement of the 80’s and 90’s.  We rallied around this cause with so much passion. We were all high school students, knowledgeable as a high school student can be on the issues, causes, and reasons to LOUDLY protest this unjust government of South Africa.  We planned, organized, got our parent’s permission, and then proceeded to do a proper sit in at the South African Consulate in order to protest Apartheid.  Because they were a federal agency, the police would not arrest us; so the State Department came in and did the arrests.  33 of us, proudly, went to the (and this is funny) Beverly Hills police department while they fingerprinted, photographed, processed, and then held us until our parents came. 

I LOVE that I was so involved and aware at such a young age. 

Why am I writing this today? While waiting for Avi at the dentist, I was chatting with a mom and her daughter. I was grading essays and her daughter asked if I was a teacher. The girl is a high school student.  I started chatting with the mom and discovered that she only moved here one year ago from South Africa.  She was in political exile during the years I was an activist.  She was in Zambia until she was able to return to South Africa. Now SHE works for the consulate here. 

We chatted about those times, I shared with her the names of some old dear friends who were here in political exile and have since moved back home, to South Africa.  she asked me why I’m not active anymore since the country is still a mess. I shared with her how my activism comes via my teaching.  For example, before teaching "The Crucible", I have my students research modern day events that connect: The Holocaust, Armenian Genocide, Darfur, Apartheid, McCarthyism, Kosovo, etc. My hope is that they can link the concept of "witch hunts" to what happens in modern history. 

The woman and I enjoyed our talks and she said she’d love to invite me to some of the celebrations and events the consulate has, including a Freedom celebration.  It was great to see some of my "youth" work come full circle; a woman who was there, who had to leave her land, now working and helping to change her beloved country. 

Back then, I went to many of these South African events. I had breakfast with Mandela’s daughter, my friends were THE ANC in Los Angeles, I arranged for political exiles to speak at my high school to share what was happening in South Africa…

And now…I look back and can’t believe it was I who did all that.