Defining moments.

My first memory of seeing the Statue of Liberty.

➡️In 1970, when I was in second grade in New Jersey, my class took a trip to the Statue of Liberty.

It was only a 30-minute drive from our cushy, middle-class neighborhood.

Back then, everyone brought metal lunch boxes to school.😯

But for this trip, our lunches were packed in brown paper bags instead.

My classmates and I sat at the base of the Statue and ate lunch, looking out over Liberty Island.

I finished most of my sandwich, walked to the rusted, weathered garbage can, and tossed my bag on top of the pile. 🗑️

A minute later, I saw a homeless man reach into the can and take my bag. He began eating what I had thrown away.

That night, I asked my parents why anyone would eat food from the garbage.

They answered me in just three sentences.

I cried.

And I never forgot that moment.

➡️The next year, in 1971, a classmate called me a dirty J*ew.

I was only 9 years old. 😢

➡️1976- I successfully lobbied the principal at my middle school for ...