50 Years

I really need to be asleep right now.  But something significant happened today and I don't want to go to sleep and let it be lost.  Today was the 50th Anniversary of George Wallace's stand in the door of Foster Auditorium at The University of Alabama, his attempt to prevent integration of The University. 
I was thinking about how I didn't go to the official observance tonight and how that was probably a bad call on my part, even though I had attended other related events.  Then it dawned on me how that event 50 years ago immediately related to my work day wherein I had lunch with two colleagues at The University Club.  These colleagues happened to be African American.  I realized that 50 years ago it would have been illegal for us to just stroll in and sit down over an almond ball. If two races couldn't sit at the Woolworth's counter together then they certainly couldn't share lunch at the private-antebellum-mansion-white-table-cloth club. 
So, I may not have gone to the official event with all of the national media coverage, but I did go to lunch with two new friends without any fear or threat of violence.  It's hard to observe and celebrate any better than that.