I was stinky; I wasn’t afraid.

Lynne Shotola,
Waukegan, IL.

I’m a white woman. It was a Sunday night right after Ferguson. I had spent a host, sticky day doing chores. When I went to take the used cat litter out to the dumpster, I very obviously swerved out of the path of a black man. All I could think was that I did not want to offend anyone’s nose. A few seconds later I realized what it probably felt like to him and I just wanted to cry. I still feel bad.