There have only been a couple of national events in my life where I can very clearly remember exactly where I was at the moment they happened. Obviously 9/11 was one of those most of us remember.
The Rodney King riots in 1992 are another one. I was at work in Washington, DC that day. A group of us were being sent to a warehouse in Virginia in the back of a panel van with benches rather than seats. I was the only white guy in a van with 8 black men, all of them in their mid-20s as I was at the time. The radio was on and the DJ announced the news and then played “Fight the Power” by Public Enemy. The driver, who was black, cranked it up loud. Fortunately, I was friends with one of the guys and he sort of vouched for me (“He’s white but he’s alright.”) And after that it was okay.
And then there was the acquittal of OJ Simpson in 1995. I happened to be in Pittsburgh visiting a close…