Vandal Tag

You never forget your first hate crime, especially as the victim. Just like your first day of school, first kiss, or first love the moment is seared into your brain. Moving from Bellwood, Illinois to Rialto, California at the end of 5th grade and start of my 6th grade year was a challenge for our entire family. The harsh winters of Chicago were too much to bear for my aging grandparents, great-aunties, and Puppa, who worked outside at O’Hare Airport. Puppa’s “bones would ache” from the bitter winds that the area was known for; no matter how many layers of...