I'm feeling especially inspired after talking to voters about the upcoming mayoral election. Almost everyone who stopped talked with me seemed to have a since that this election was an important one.
Two conversations in particular stood out to me during my outreach. One was with a short elderly woman whom by her accent I could assume to be West Indian. Growing up in Brooklyn, and watching the media it would not be inclined to vote for the first openly gay mayor. The woman looked up at me after she heard me say the Name Chris .. before I could say Quinn she said "Oh the gay one?" I immediately assumed that this woman would not be interested in signing a petition to get Chris on the ballot let a lone vote for her in September and November. To my surprise the woman signed the petition. She looked at me and said "The lady wants to be Mayor.. the rest is none of my business. While she never said she was affirming of LGBT lifestyles I left with a great amount of respect for her. She asked me " You like her?" We talked for a second, the woman began to walk away and she turned around and said " I have a good feeling about her." I said "I know, me too" smiling.
To me it wasn't just a conversation, over even just about this Mayoral election. This conversation was so inspirational because I learned a lot about the assumptions I make. I also learned to be patient and to realize that progress is happening within communities of color regarding accepting LGBT people.
Another conversation that stuck with me was with a mother. She told me that she feared for her son's life because she heard the mayor say that he wanted Black and Latinos stopped and frisked. She told me that she wanted a mayor that would oppose Black and Latino young men being targets of the NYPD. I smiled when she said "We need a black woman, another Shirley Chisholm." If Mrs. Chisholm was alive today what would she say about stop and frisk?
