On my way home this afternoon, I noticed an elderly white woman lying on the sidewalk at Peoria and 49th Street, while a young Asian woman knelt beside her, trying to talk to her.
I turned around immediately and pulled into the Burger Street parking lot just as another car arrived. A young Black man stepped out at the same time I did.
We checked on her and saw she had fallen backward while using her walker, hitting her head on the concrete.
I said I would call for help, and the young Black man went to his car, grabbed a soft jacket, and gently placed it under her head to keep it off the scorching pavement—it was 38°C today. Before long, more people came to help.
A young white woman brought an umbrella from her car to shield the woman’s face from the sun, while another person placed towels under her bare arms so she wouldn’t burn.
A young Hispanic employee from Burger Street came out with a bucket of cool water and a cloth to soothe her forehead.
Together—Black, white, Asian, and Hispanic—we all came together to care for an elderly white woman who needed help.
This is the America I love: a country where compassion, kindness, and humanity outweigh everything else—race, age, and gender included.