Persistence? Determination? Crazy? Maybe just a clear purpose….Part I

Most people are passionate about something; some are so passionate, they feel the need to protest about it. We get a lot of people in DC that fit in the ladder of those categories. Now, I’m not overly political, or religious, but I am passionate about my own things. So when I see people protesting, showing such passion about whatever they might believe, I’m usually interested enough to take a look. Living in DC, and working only blocks from the White House gives me plenty of chance to see protesters. You see, protesters are a staple of DC just like the monuments, statues, and politicians. This post is about one such protester, that unlike many others is a part of the city.

Walking around one day, I noticed dramatic scenes that can’t help but draw attention (see the photo of Guantanamo protest below), but that day my eye was also drawn to a small shelter with a small older woman. I walked over to see what it was all about, only to learn about a protest almost 30 years in the making.



Concepcion Picciotto (Photographed by me above) has inhabited a slab of sidewalk in front of the White house, in Lafayette Park, since Jan 1981. I stopped and thought about that for a second….that is only 2 years after I was born. It was hard to fully understand her message; the years have clearly taken a tool on her. Maybe you don’t believe in her anti nuclear “campaign” (feels odd to call what has been a way of life that), but one should still find something to appreciate about it. I know she made an impression on me.

SO if you are by the White House, stop by and say hello, see if she makes an impression on you. She is a very sweet, strong and determined woman.

If you want to read more on Concepcion Picciotto, here is a web site I found on her.