Visiting Stanford University Campus after nearly 40's later

Our old backyard on Stanford's campus

Excerpt from my book: I Am Worthy of Love Simply Because I Exist.

"Our family moved from Michigan so my father could attend Stanford University to obtain his doctorate in Sociology. We drove a yellow Plymouth from Detroit to Palo Alto, California. My father could count on me asking him 'are we there yet?' a million times. He would turn on the radio and I would start singing, 'Natural Woman' by Aretha Frankin. 'Betcha by Golly Wow' by the Stylistics. He would eventually ask me to try and refrain from singing the lead vocal and try the background vocals instead. I did this with as much abandon as I did the lead. I'm sure my father could not get us to California fast enough.

Though the 60's Civil Rights Movement was coming to a close, the 70's were just as explosive. The granddaugher of San Francisco publishing magnate William Randolf Hearst was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army. The Black Panther Party formulated in Oakland and they began the Black Liberation Movement. Peaceful protests were replaced with "by any means necessary". Gloria Steinem was leading the Woman's Movement and rumor was growing that feminists were burning their bras. Unrest was growing in the country once again and it seemed to all be happening right in my back yard. These movements were about people proclaiming their worth. They wanted validation and to belong. People were angry with the status quo and they were willing to fight it to get what they wanted."

 Backyard playground at Stanford's Housing called Escondido Village

Building I almost lost my sister in when she was 4 years old on Stanford's campus. Got in big trouble that day.