Saturday, January, 16th 2021 4:12pm PST

Hi Edward (and anyone else reading this), 

It’s Saturday afternoon as I’m writing this. I’m in California and the sun is shining and I’ve already had a nice workout, went out for a long walk and dropped by a local restaurant to pick up lunch.  When I returned I got my notice from Amazon that the review I wrote for RoadID had been approved.  I proceeded to do my due diligence to get that $5 Amazon Gift card by doing as asked and sending a screenshot to the corresponding email. I thought that would be it. I figured in a week or so I’d get my gift card and that would be the end.  But no. The auto-reply message I got from your company’s robot Randy was hilarious and made me curious to check out your website further (excuse my language here for a moment, but that was some friggin’ brilliant customer service and marketing! I was hooked and ready to read more about this amazing company with the fresh cool vibe I had purchased my emergency bracelet from…). 

Soon enough, I found my way over to your blog… and that’s when I lost it. I broke down. Not in that ugly cry, but you know… tears nonetheless and that’s why I’m writing this now. 

I was just telling someone the other day how much I appreciate that in my neighborhood I have always felt safe. During the height of things getting real bad this summer, there was some extraordinary level of comfort that came my way because so many of my neighbors chose to put out signs and make their views known — for every moment of pain we saw on television, read about in the paper or every organized march we came across, I just felt comforted that in my neighborhood, I was safe. The signs my neighbors put out on their lawns just confirmed what I already knew — I was welcomed here. I belong here. I mattered.  

Well, I just experienced the same thing looking at your blog post. 

Just like my new ID bracelet, I wasn’t expecting it. I read it and I read it again and I teared… 

This probably makes no sense —  and as I’m writing this to you,  I feel so foolish in so many ways, and yet, I feel the need to say it — it matters that you wrote that blog post! It matters even more that you wrote it and kept it up there all this time!  Thank you!    

I am Black. Latina. An American. There is no particular significance to the order in this case, except that on most days, my skin color is the first thing people react too. This past summer was, in a lot of ways, eye-opening and in other ways, very much status quo. What was fascinating was watching everyone realize what’s been going on MY ENTIRE LIFE.  It was interesting to see companies take a stand one way or another. Large and small. Those that did, I applauded and cheered on and did my best to send more business their way. Those companies that chose another perspective, I ignored, cancelled or boycotted to the best of my ability – I made sure people in my circles knew where they stood… I never want to support anything that is contrary to my very existence… so that makes sense, right?

Then there are companies and/or organizations that I expect nothing from. It doesn’t matter why, but not every company needs to take a political stand or share their views on social matters. Truth is, a company that is smaller, usually gets a pass from me. I get it — don’t get involved, don’t risk losing customers. I don’t get upset about that. Goodness knows there’s enough to deal with nowadays, so I bypass those that say nothing… my point is, I expect very little…

And then, BAM. There YOU is! There you Go! Look what you did! Surprised me something fierce. Thank you for supporting BLM. Thank you for supporting ME.   

I’m nobody in the big scheme of things. Just a regular person, doing her best, trying to make ends meet like everyone else. If I get a moment of joy – I grab it, hold on tight and scream from the rooftops!  That’s what I’m doing right now.  This is ME – screaming from my rooftop — THANK YOU FOR THIS BLOG POST!  THANK YOU FOR MY COOL-ASS ID! THANK YOU FOR CARING ABOUT MY LIFE AND PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE ME AND THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME KNOW THAT I MATTER!  

With so much joy,

Carmen