Almost 50 years ago tonight....

Dare to give a damn about what's happening right outside your door....and KEEP giving a damn.

On March 13th, 1964, Kitty Genovese was brutally attacked and raped while trying to make it home from her late shift at work.  She would've been 77 years old this coming July.  Maybe still living a loving, committed relationship with her partner, Mary Ann...with grown children of their own...and loving grandchildren...or at least a crowd of beloved friends and other loved ones who cared for her as deeply as any of us care for the loved ones around us.  But on March 13th, 1964, her future was violently ripped away from her.  And a very large number of witnesses (some said it was around 38 people) heard her calls for help tucked away inside their safe apartments...but no one responded to her screams.  Not one.

Dare to care about the community you're living in.  Whether it's an apartment building in a densely populated big city or homes in the far-flung suburbs and rural areas, dare to give a damn and get to know the people living near/around you.  Fear, racism, xenophobia and ignorance have a mighty hold on our society that gets worse every day.  It's too easy to sink back behind our burglar bars and security doors and turn the tv or computer volume up to drown out the life around us.  As Kitty's case unfolded, there was no shortage of racist bigots who tried to use her murder as a wedge to keep blacks and whites divided and perpetuating the ideas of wild black men on the loose to rape and kill delicate, white women.  Men of ALL races commit violence, rape and murder against women of every race.  They did in Kitty's time and they STILL do today.  Many people still sink back in the quiet shadows when they see crimes being committed or hear screams outside their windows.  Dare to be different.  Dare to care.  Get to know your neighbors and dare to speak up when you see something bad happening.  Honor Kitty's memory and dare to care about the people in your community and the quality of life around you.

**If you've never heard her story before, please listen to this interview featuring her life partner, Mary Ann Zielonko, who lovingly speaks about her and the life they shared together.  So bittersweet: http://soundportraits.org/on-air/remembering_kitty_genovese/