March on Jena: Random Thoughts

With the March on Jena less than 24 hours away, for some reason I’m having mixed emotions.
When I first decided to make this journey more than two weeks ago, I was excited about the possibility of experiencing something like this.

I mean, for years I’ve heard the stories of protest marches during the Civil Rights Movement from parents, grandparents, history classes, etc.

And it was the idea of being able to witness an event that’s being likened to the protest marches of that era that compelled me to go in the first place. I had to be there.
Fear was the last thing on my mind. I mean, to be honest, I was envisioning something like Essence Fest without the music.

Then, my naïve-like mental images of a party with a purpose morphed into images of those 1960s protests as I told friends, family and colleagues of my plans.

I mean I’ve heard every warning from “Oooh I hope they protect y’all.” “It’s going to be overwhelming. Be careful.” “Stay safe. Don’t wander off.” and “Stay with the crowd.” to “Make sure you make provisions in case there’s no restroom available.” I never even thought about that!

And suddenly, I’m a ball of excitement and nerves because I’m just not sure what to expect. I guess we’ll see in a few hours, literally -We’re hitting the road at 3 a.m.