begin at the beginning

i am always late.
always. in the tradition of those great women in my family, faithfully carrying the torch fifteen to twenty minutes behind schedule, but ever diligent and in earnest.

the second round of interviews was a test; team-building and analytical thinking determined whether or not we were a good fit for the program. i missed the first fifteen minutes of the scheduled interview, so i had to wait for the next group. i burned the next half hour under a tree in the esperanza unida parking lot, and, at the appropriate time, headed back in for first second chance.

there were five of us there, four of which would become allies (one who would promptly quit). amber, jess, and i were able to prove our salt and thereby became part of the proud class of 2008 public allies.

the words that follow are the play-by-play documentation of my experience as a public ally.

7/11/07

i am successfully late once again, goal accomplished. we are having a matching fair to choose our partner programs. each ally has the option to choose six; mine are C.O.R.E./el centro, the guest house of milwaukee, milwaukee lgbt community center, the social development commision, the Y.M.C.A. one-on-one mentorship program, and T.A.L.C.

i chose C.O.R.E./el centro beacuse i am an advocate of the natural community, as wellas wanting to give my time assisting in the hispanic community.

guest house of milwaukee provides support for recovering addicts by providing home, hospitality, and opportunity. i wanted to do this because it would give me the chance to help men like my father and former ex-boyfriend.

milwaukee lgbt community center was something i felt i could use to bond with my mom. they're doing fun things with project q; everyone's involved in it and i feel familiar with the culture.

social development commission was another choice; i am tired of living in poverty amidst the excesses of the world. i want to rise above it and bring others with me.