civil-service

I have rarely participated in demonstrations or rallies no matter the

cause. Here was one of the rare times. As I moved about, I was awed

by the orderliness, peacefulness and yet high passion of this event.

Memories came of demonstrations I witnessed many years ago during the

lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville, Tennessee at the height of the

civil rights movement. I remembered seeing disciplined, non-violent

college students bravely sit at "white-only" lunch counters and their

somehow dignified reaction to their treatment by police and town's

folk. I also had flash-backs of bloodied teens returning from those

sit-ins vowing to return to the fight the next day. This Trayvon

Martin day of call for equal justice and treatment under the law and

between each other, saw demonstrators, policemen, children and

bystanders of various races, gender, ethnicity and probably religions

peacefully observing the day together. The spirit of the event

allowed me as a photographer to lose my fear of crowds and concentrate

on "seeing". Comments and critique welcome.