Dear City worker,

I do not exactly recall the first time I saw your friendly wave but let me say I am truly sorry. I am proud to be an American and live in this great country. However, there are so many things that need to be worked on to create the world we want to live in. One of these issues is one that has been brought to the forefront of the entire nation. It is the issue of social justice and racism in our country. I do not believe every person in America is a racist, however, I do believe it still is very active in today’s world. An incident that I saw occur was an active representation of this happening in the current world. (Backstory time) Ever since I have been able to drive, (my sophomore year) I would see this very friendly man on my way to morning lifting during the summer. He was always mowing the grass or doing something else around town working for the city. I’m not sure how it started, but for as long as I can remember we have always waved at each other whenever we have seen each other. It is a random tradition that I have especially taken a liking to, he brings a light to my day and a smile to my face. No matter the day, he always brought great energy in his reaction every time we saw each other and it definitely made a difference in my mood. He did all of this without knowing my name or me knowing his. A great example of how to just be a nice person to anyone you come in contact with. One day after lifting I was on my way to our local grocery store when I spotted my friend mowing a strip of glass by our city’s park. As I drove past I watched a truck drive past donning a big confederate flag off the back of his truck. In my rearview mirror, I watched the driver of the truck slow down heading into a green light as he passed my friend on his mower. Yes, my friend is an African-American man and I’m not sure if he saw the man as he passed slowly in his truck, however, it made me quite angry. I was very taken aback that someone would even think to do something like that. So to my friend that works for the city and continues to spread happiness, you are appreciated.