20 Cents......

After the events of last weekend down in Charlottesville, Virginia I've, once again, been thinking about opportunity and priviledge. And how ethnicity can interfere with many of those opportunities or education and future plans.

Last week I drove down to Wauwatosa and had a lovely lunch with two good friends. We try to get together every month or two for what we fondly call "Laughter and Therapy Luncheons". And we do laugh....and we do talk....and we are on the same page for most issues hitting the news every day. I look forward to my time with these two.

Hugging goodbye we headed off in three directions - one driving to Elm Grove, one walking home to her house in 'Tosa while I drove east on North Avenue to get back to the highway and head north to Port Washington.

For those of you who may not know it, Milwaukee has the sad distinction of being one of the most segregated cities in the Country. The "why" of this is complex and long standing. But today a large geographical area, mostly west and north of the city, has many homes in need of repair, businesses closed, food "deserts" with no grocery stores, few jobs and much disappointment, unrest and brooding anger. There are certainly nice sections and strong families on welcoming streets....but much of the area seems sadly left behind.

As I drove through East 'Tosa I passed shops and restaurants and any number of active storefronts. But within only a couple more miles I realized I was now distinctly in the minority. The neighborhood quickly changed....and not for the better. Store fronts were closed. Homes looked "sad". Cars were hardly shiny and new. I was one of the few white faces driving down the street. No one bothered me, people were going about their business....in their cars, or walking along cracked sidewalks....but I was the minority.

I passed a gas station and was struck by the fact that the price was 20 cents higher than it had been just a few miles back. Same street, different neighborhood, different price. Why?

If segregation in Milwaukee affects where you get your education, how many busses you must take to find a grocery store to purchase nutritious food for your family, where you might be able to find a steady job with decent pay and benefits....why should you also have to pay 20 cents more per gallon of gas?

I wonder what is the straw that will break the camel's back? What is the last little thing that makes someone say "ENOUGH"....and take to the streets to protest or get involved with crime....to give up?

20 cents......I'm still thinking about it.