It was good to see so many Trinity folks (including several student leaders!) at the March for Peace and Justice yesterday. On fairly short notice, they got some three hundred or so participants out for a march from the now-demolished public housing projects by the Federal Building to Milam Park, near El Mercado. It was quite an experience(!!!) -- more genuinely diverse a people than I've experienced in prior demonstrations elsewhere -- and one more reason I love living in San Antonio.

My Dad (a World War II vet) and I were walking at the front of the cluster of San Antonio Friends (Quakers) and right behind a pair of "Chicano rappers" (who performed a clever and delightful Peace Rap at the rally). And they were immediately behind a group of some 20 concheros in full regalia and a banner of "El pueblo contra la guerra". They danced part of the route and carried smudge pots and blew conches. The chant leader was an energetic young Black woman. The "Women of color for peace and justice" had several huge papier mache figurines that they carried on their shoulders. And later, at the rally, a contingent of Cherokees and Tiguas did some drumming and dance. Unfortunately, Middle-eastern and South Asian Texans didn't feel comfortable participating.

As if to add an exclamation point to my day's experience of American diversity, that evening I went with my parents to a house-warming of the new family across the street. They are a mixed Catholic-Muslim marriage (she's Anglo Texan and he's Libyan-American). Their party was the most ethnically mixed home event I've attended here (and I've been to a lot). Because he works for a Mexican-American construction business, I heard more Spanish than English, although both his and her families were speaking English. The first entertainment was a Latino musician, who sang in Spanish and English, and the second was an Anglo dancer of middle-eastern dances who also later taught several of the little girls some dances. So, toward the end of the evening, I was sitting under the Texas stars, eating middle-eastern foods (catered by a Lebanese restaurant, I believe) and listening to middle-eastern music, and watching an Anglo woman teaching Mexican-American and Libyan-American children how to dance middle-eastern dances!!!!!

Anyhow, I heard this nice story the other day, and thought you might appreciate it:

A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson > about how he felt about a tragedy. The grandfather said, "I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one."

 The grandson asked him, "Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?"

 The grandfather answered, "The one I feed."