Appendix Z

I ride the metro to work at 7:50 in the morning. No one ever scolds me for standing, no body asks me to not sit. I do what I want, when I want to. Actually, no one even yells at me when I jay-walk, which I shouldn't do, but do anyways when I'm running late. 

I am limited by little other than the schedule I choose, the money I have worked to make, and the hours in the day. I went to a public high school that provided me with real options. I went to one of the largest universities in the free world with every type of person you could imagine. And I moved to DC when the opportunity lent itself. I am able to live this way, to do these things, because I am American. I have been gratefully fortunate.

When I read Shafritz last week, I was reminded of the monumental cases decided on by the famous judges of our time. I look to people like Harlan and Marshall and I feel myself overcome with pride, for their decisions and interpretations changed our lives, they changed the course of history. And while I do feel sentimental about these impressive and unforgettable American founders, philosophers, and politicians, I can't help but notice a piece of the U.S. puzzle missing. 

Us, you, me, and everyone you know that no body else knows. The people of those times, the people with frustrations, interests, and opinions. The people who's lives, liberties, and freedoms rested on the outcomes of other's interpretations and decisions; sometimes we forget to remember them. 

The unnamed and the undocumented were the underbelly of these movements. They existed as a forceful and crucial shadow of change. Neither belittles the other, but we didn't really talk about those people in class Friday. I think they are worth mentioning.

And you know, it has been seven weeks and the lust for power and importance has faded, as I thought it would. The temptations of attaching my name to another's title is overwhelming, thrilling, and temporary. However, the story behind the title, the power, the importance, proves to be endlessly alluring. We are fighting for the rights of our future as did those before us, cited or not.