I had no idea what to blog about today and was unsure if I was going to be able to come up with something. I turned on my computer to look up some blog ideas, clicked on the Google homepage and I knew what I wanted to talk about before even typing in the search bar. Right there, in the Google logo, was all the inspiration I needed. Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day so Google made a special doodle, just like they always do. But today’s was different, today’s gave me a sense of pride, a sense of hope. This doodle was not about celebrating Dr. King, but it was about his message, which I’m sure is what Dr. King would rather us celebrate. The doodle, as shown below, is a drawing of six people standing side-by-side with arms linked in unity. I then read a little about the doodle depiction and found out that the artist was trying to capture one of the major themes of King's speeches and writing: unity. King once said, "All life is interrelated," and what a better way to show such a theme than with people of all shapes, sizes, and colors, standing side-by-side with linked arms? King urged Americans of all races to keep "working toward a world of brotherhood, cooperation, and peace." Now, I do not know what political side you find yourself on, nor does it matter to me, but it does matter to me how we treat other people. We go to a college of love where we celebrate “the infinite worth of every individual,” but the outside world is always like that and we must, as Manchester students and alumni, make a difference in this aspect. Go out and show the world how to love and accept others, no matter who they are, no matter what they look like, and let us help our country to stand up for one another in times of trial and heartache.

On Thursday, I was on a field trip to Chicago and I was very sick, so at some point I asked my professor if he could take me to the train station and my mom was going to pick me up at a stop in Indiana. The train never showed, so I was all alone in the train stop with nobody I knew and no official employees anywhere to be seen. All that was there was a few benches, three ticket machines, and two small enclosed areas with barely any heat. So, as expected, I called my mom and had a total breakdown. I was alone, in South Chicago, and very afraid. At this point, we did not know that the trains were no longer running that day due to weather so I went ahead and bought a ticket and sat down in the enclosed area with a few benches and a little open space. One other man was at the stop with me, a black man who appeared to have just gotten off work at a factory or something. I was utterly ashamed at myself for racial stereotyping (and I was fully aware I was doing it), but I was afraid of him. I realized that I had a few questions and decided that I would very politely ask for his assistance and see where it went. I didn’t have many options at that point, and I figured being very nice was my best option. I was even more ashamed with myself when this man turned into one of the nicest, most helpful people. He was supposed to get on the same train as myself and he said that he was here early for it and it had not arrived so he assured me that I did not miss it. He then would check his phone periodically to ensure that we were updated. I could tell this man was leery of me as well because anytime he would show me something on his phone about the train, he would approach very slowly and make sure I was not freaking out about it or anything. The whole thing was almost ridiculous, we were both a little afraid of each other, not because either had posed a threat, but because media has socialized us to be this way. Finally, when another man arrived and we all realized that the trains were just not running, they were both very concerned about me. My phone was about to die so I told them that my plan was to walk over to Michigan Ave and go sit inside a hotel I could see from the station. I told them I would call my professor from there so he could come get me and both men wished me luck and made me promise I would be safe. They genuinely cared about what happened to me, and they have no idea how much it means to me. We must stop being afraid of each other, and learn to love and accept each other, and today we need to remember King’s words, that “All life is interrelated.”