Little Things Are Big - Mr Valenzuela

1 , ,a[suitcase]inherlefthandandtwochildren, aboyandgirlaboutthreeandfiveyearsold, ,Brooklyn,wesawherpreparingtogetoffatthe nextstation AtlanticAvenue ,itwasgoingtoaproblemforhertogetoffthesu bwaywithtwosmallchildrentobetakencareof, ababyonherrightarm,andamedium-sized[suit case] ,alsopreparingtogetoffatAtlanticAvenue,w ithnobundlestotakecareof noteventhecustomarybookundermyarm, ,somewhitemanstoodupfromhisseatandhelped herout,placingthechildrenonthelong, , ,placingthetwochildrenoutsidethesubwayca r?ShouldItakecareofthegirlandtheboy,take thembytheirhandsuntiltheyreachedtheendof thesteep,longconcretestairsoftheAtlantic Avenuestation? aPuertoRicanhourspastmidnight,avalise,tw owhitechildrenandawhiteladywithababyonhe rarmbadlyneedingsomebodytohelpher, ,aNegro*andaPuertoRican,approachthiswhit elady,whoverylikelymighthavepreconceived prejudicesaboutNegroesandeverybodywithfo reignaccents,inadesertedsubwaystationver ylateatnight?CONTINUEDNameClassDate* [suitcase],twochildrenandababyonherright arm?

2 Wouldshesay: Yes,ofcourse,youmayhelpme. OrwouldshethinkthatIwasjusttryingtogetto ofamiliar?Orwouldshethinkworsethanthatpe rhaps?WhatwouldIdoifsheletoutascreamasIw entforwardtooffermyhelp?WasImisjudginghe r? ,longminute.* ,whatwordswouldyouplaceontheinsideoftheb ox? *JesusColon, ,1961. 2008 FacingHistoryandOurselves