Well, the next morning I was tired but still pretty pumped because I was going to speak at the kickoff event for this year's Cesar E. Chavez Commemoration Series. A couple years ago I spoke at their Breakfast in front of 1,000 people and this time it was far different - a workshop of 20 people - but the work was still important. The goal of the workshop was helping young educators relay Cesar's stories and accomplishments in such a way that today's iPod wearing, Angry Bird playing, quite prosperous generation could relate. So I talked about the camp director in 1991 who wanted me banned as a "potential liability"; how I fought that discrimination; and how today's kids need to know those types of injustices exist and how to peacefully fight them.
I wasn't at my sharpest because I haven't spoken much lately and the Anytown story is not one I use often. But with some key pregnant pauses and raw emotion, I held their attention and it went great.
I spoke at 10am, the event ended at 11:30, and by noon I was headed to downtown San Diego. I had just a few minutes to check my e-mail, grab my sunglasses, and head to lunch. My lunch date on this warm and sun-splashed afternoon was another Jessica, Spinazzola. I get asked about her a lot but not by name. She's the girl that Peter Rowe describes in his Foreword in "Swinging for the Fences" as me asking him to 'hold my chicken', walking up to her in a restaurant, and within minutes extracting giggles and a phone number. People ask, "whatever happened with that girl??" Well, J-Spinzz, as she is known, moved to Denver, had a daughter, and we've remained good friends. She was in town to check out schools because she wants to relocate her kid and boyfriend back to SD. I am so glad my moxy that day resulted in a good friendship. I'll post pictures soon that she took of us at Tin Fish.
After lunch, I hustled back to the office and it was straight to the car of my buddy Miguel Trejo. He was driving me to speak to his group, "Encuentros", which mentors teenage Latino boys at Fallbrook High. I fell asleep in his car almost right away but he said he understood. I woke up refreshed, still a little woozy though, and walked into a room full of boys and a homemade banner. I spoke on my overall life challenges and how they need to not let anyone tell them they can't succeed. I was afraid they might consider it a little hokey but when they asked if we could take pictures and wanted to share school experiences with me, I knew I'd made new friends. One kid, Jonah, was both mischievous and sincerely good-hearted and I saw a lot of myself in him. He's behind my left shoulder here.
Afterwards, Mr. Trejo took myself, his family, and a couple of the students out to dinner at Cocina del Charro in Escondido. His older sister came and she's pretty cute. By the time I got home I was wiped out. It was the most amazing Friday I've experienced in a long, long time.
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