RIP Tommy Jaquette

I wish I had known about this man before a call came out from a famous passerby to let everyone know about a celebration happening on November 28th, 2009 in Watts, California. The famous passerby was congress-woman Maxine Waters. I was stopped at a light, waiting for the commuter train to go by and she yelled out “here, take these and give them to friends and family!” They were flyers she wanted to hand to me but I couldn’t reach them. A man who was selling items near the little train station ran over, grabbed the flyers from her hand and gave them to me. Maybe he recognized her voice instantly just as I had. On the beautifully done flyers was Tommy Jacquette and when I saw the name, curiosity hit me hard. I really didn’t know who he was and from the dates listed on the flyers, I could see that he’d passed away recently. As soon as I got home and logged onto my computer, I looked him up. Ahh.. it was a cool discovery… This man is/was someone I should’ve know a great deal about and been inspired by. A great story. A man who definitely filled his life with purpose, sparked by an event that was/is historic. Thus, he made his life historic as well through struggle, hardwork, effort, believing, never giving up, and accomplishment. From what I could determine, he did what politicians only talk about and/or promise to do in an area where many forget exist. I hear more about cities, towns and places on the other side of the world than I do of the city of Watts. I often wonder about that but that’s how it is, unfortunately. Seems like Mr. Jacquette maintained his pride for Watts throughout his entire life and tried his hardest to reflect that in not only himself but all who were blessed to see and/or know him. I wish I had known of him before but I believe also that it’s never too late to learn, appreciate, respect, admire and say God Bless…. Rest in peace…