The minute that I heard about the French woman who wasn't bothered by a little color on the sidewalk, I just knew that I had to check out the story for myself. So I picked up that heavy journal of yours and I took a look. Simone de Beauvoir, I tremendously applaud your ability to look past the ignorant suggestions of your peers to stay clear of a place that they simply do not understand. Having been born and raised in Detroit, I too often took trips to (and even lived in) suburbs where my peers insisted that my hometown was a land of immense danger and poverty. As they never found out but you most certainly did, this is not the truth. The truth behind the perceived threats of such heavily populated Black areas is that many people on the outside do not want to think about the negative repercussions of some our country's darker decisions and traditions. You definitely seem to understand this and I thank you for taking the time to understand a group of people that is not your own. I'd love to write more but my bus from San Francisco to Pittsburgh takes off soon! Stay open minded and enjoy the open road.
- Zachariah Johnson
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