First Place

This memory is shaky at best, but in fourth grade I participated in a history fair. My group had 3 or 4 girls in it, if I remember right, and one of them was my best friend Kim, and her mom was the one who helped us develop our topic. We chose (or maybe were assigned?) to do a skit which we called "What In The World Happened at the Seneca Falls Convention?" We all chose to play different parts of women who were fighting for the right to vote, including Susan B. Anthony and Elisabeth Cady Staton. Well, I should say the other girls got to play women...I volunteered to be Frederick Douglas.

And how, you ask, did I dress up as this distinguished black man? I pulled my hair up into a top-hat that my sister had. Obviously, the judges had good imaginations.
The only thing I really remember about my speech was saying that men often treated their dogs better than they treated their wives.
But, top hat and all, we must've pulled it off because we ended up winning first place, which was a big deal because we were competing against other schools.
I know it must sound kinda strange, but I've always felt a sort of kinship with all things Frederick Douglass since then. And I can't help but think of him now that we have the opportunity to vote tomorrow.
A couple of my favorites:
"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence."
And simply,
"If there is no struggle, there is no progress."

EVERYONE REMEMBER TO VOTE!!!