The American Spring

The American Spring, it sounds so weird, but I should not be surprised as I have always experienced a MASSIVE segregation in most of the American states I visited in the last fifteen years. The most striking moment for me was when I visited Michigan in April 2007, invited by the US State Department. I was having dinner on my own in the restaurant of the hotel. There was a prom night going on, and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw solely black students sitting at one side of the venue and white students at the other side. Not one group of students was mixed. The other moment I will never forget was when a Texan friend told me that until 1972, in Austin, blacks could not drink from the same fountains as whites. That information felt like a big punch in my face. So yes, I totally understand the American Spring going on now but never thought that the USA would be the next country with anti-government protests, as we know happened earlier in the Middle East. I really hope someone will take sensible leadership to guide the American people (all colors!) through these hard times. PS This photo is definitely going to be one of the nominations for the World Press Photo. The protester takes a knee in front of San Jose Police officers during a protest in California after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.