Ross... Romero Justice Group... Black History Month...

Ross and I grew up with the protests against Vietnam War...  and the coming of age of the Black population in the U.S. The Black Panthers were on the forefront and student demonstrations were wide spread... The Western capitals were in turmoil and the Soviet Union, after the Prague Spring, was discredited... we were in search of something else... I from afar... and Ross right in the middle of things...
The youth of North America, Europe and the Middle east was in agitation and rebellion... 
Those were refreshing times...
The Big Brother both in the Western capitals and in the Soviet Union was in retreat... The collapse of the Soviet Union had began and the West did not have an answer to the youth aspirations...
Ross reminded me often that he was part of the youth searching for alternatives to the war... He got interested in Archbishop Romero... and fell in love with his teachings... 

Ross loved the Archbishop and founded The Romero Justice Group in the school Ross admired the Archbishop and his teachings... He was inspired by him...

Romero was named Archbishop of El Salvador in 1977, during a period where the Central American country was run by a succession of military dictatorships. Historians say he was chosen in part because he was seen as conservative and unlikely to be overly critical to the authoritarian government. But the murder of a friend and fellow priest, Rutilio Grande, just one month later, brought out a new resolve in Romero. The archbishop became an especially fierce critic of the U.S.-backed military regime that seized power in 1979. In 1980, a group of more than 100 soldiers sent him a letter asking for his intervention regarding orders to kill guerrillas, whose ranks often included their own brothers. In what would be his last sermon, Romero made a special appeal to the military and police: "No soldier is obliged to obey an order contrary to the law of God. No one has to obey an immoral law. It is high time you recovered your consciences and obeyed your consciences rather than a sinful order." He concluded: "In the name of God, in the name of this suffering people whose cries rise to heaven more loudly each day, I implore you, I beg you, I order you in the name of God: stop the repression." He was assassinated the next day, March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass... I had heard about Romero, but had not read his teachings... But I was familiar with Priest Camilo Torres Restrepo and have read few of his books...

When Archbiship Romero visited the city I attended his public meeting in a downtown cathedral... Later on, when I met Ross, he told me that he was there too...

Ross and I had similar interests and our view of the world was quite similar too...

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He said; "Conquer time and space... and stay in touch with your friends... with your community... with the global village..." It was his way of saying that I have to stay in touch with him... no matter what... It was his way of bandaging his loneliness...
I love being alone by myself... I need my space... I cherish my time alone with myself... and I do not get bored of it... Whenever I feel heaviness on my shoulders... whenever I feel that "aloneness" will start weighing on me... I dress up and take a long walk... Nature does its magical therapy and rejuvenates my senses and me... I return to my desk and think of the things that were... I think of the things which are... I imagine of peace and harmony and beauty all over again... It makes me joyful... and my thoughts open up new visions and my "alone time..." with myself... flourishes into new magic... and heralds new vision... of a Global Village... a new horizon of eternity... 
But, deep down, I always thought that Ross was lonely... and that bothered me... His easy going... "You are allowed" approach to everything made him an easy target for abuse... and I thought some of his "friends" did abuse him...
There was a former student who had difficulties with the law... because of drugs and addiction and whatever may come with addiction to drugs and lack of finances... and every few months visited Ross and take advantage of Ross's generosity... Not that he was gullible, but the student brought Ross out of his "aloneness" and gave a different meaning to his days... 
The student promised him heaven... but delivered hell... When the student had his way and money... he left for another few months... and Ross got depressed for days... and in those days he opened up to me about this young lad... and his adventurous life... The addicted lad got even married... that inspired hope to Ross... But things did not change...
and I could not help the situation... I said to myself... "Ross is allowed too... " and I hoped that eventually... one day things will change...

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...And Black History Month...

                   

...Is not about football and basketball... and rapping...

Black success is not in sports only... Confining black success to sports is diminishing the potential of both Black and not-so-Black people...

Black success is not religious too... The pastors eventually will be marginalized too and Black potential will flourish...

I love to read Maya Angelou... She wrote; "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."