No One Wrote Book About This
How does one who is grieving prepare, mentally, for a re-election on Tuesday night and a memorial taking the place, publicly, of a funeral for her only child four mornings later? No known guidelines or rules of etiquette are available, just as there are no laws governing the proper time and space boundaries for mourning. The fabric of Ms. Basss character will be stretched to the maximum and beyond. This is where religious faith, or a suitable substitute, desperately are called upon to prop up a person. Just for tolerating this weeks unimaginable amount of stress, Ms. Bass deserves the mantle of heroine. That her most personal obligations are necessarily in public only tightens the pressure. Nearly everyone I know around Ms. Bass, understandably, is tiptoeing. Fearful of intruding or offending, silence has replaced all but the most necessary conversation. A mother I know who is close to Ms. Basss age of 52 last week awkwardly delayed as long as she could offering succor to her friend. Almost embarrassed, she dreaded approaching Ms. Bass. My child is still alive, the mother told me. How can I face her? As family friend Barbara Honig told thefrontpageonline.com last week, both Ms. Wright and Mr. Wright were merely starting the main course of their lives. She was planning to go to law school. He was in pursuit of an MBA at UCLA. Civil rights-oriented, Ms. Wright was portrayed as every bit the community person, the fulltime, seriously channeled activist, that her mother has been throughout her adult life.
What They Said
No one I know from Ms. Basss circle doubts she has the strength to fend off this saddest of challenges. Reporting on a candlelight vigil for Ms. Wright and Mr. Wright, the Los Angeles Sentinel quoted several friends whose remarks merit wider dissemination. Marqueece Harris-Dawson, chief executive of the Community Coalition, a group founded by Ms. Bass, said: Even if we could understand why this happened, the pain and suffering do not go away. Dr. Cheryl Grills, a Loyola professor, accompanied Ms. Wright and classmates on her first of numerous trips to the homeland of her heritage, Africa. I think she found herself, said Prof. Grills. She became African-centered in her feelings and, eventually, about her purpose in life. In a spirit of irony, Prof. Grills asked: When have the university and the community come together so quickly when we are not protesting or demonstrating? The lesson is, Do not forget our community. Let us remember our closeness, compassion and commitment to one another. We should remember that tomorrow is not promised to anyone. If we remember that, their lives will not have been in vain.
