Queens, New York

jerryjacques@hotmail.com

Culture

Introducing the One and Only Sha’Carri Richardson is the talk of the town, again. No, it’s not for her “10.72 seconds to win the 100 meters at the 2021 Miramar Invitational.” It’s not about missing the Olympics due to failing a drug test. Nor is it about the passing of her mother. No, this time it’s about her ninth-place finish at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic. This event was hyped up as being the ultimate showdown between Richardson and the Jamaican Olympic sprinting group led by Elaine Thompson-Herah. In fact, I initially set out to write about Thompson-Herah. I wanted to say a

November will mark the start of my tenth year working in the intellectually & developmentally disabled field. I spent my 30s, in various shapes and forms, caring for those that are recognized in the general public as the mentally retarded. In fact, using the developmentally disabled to refer to those I serve, generally results in confusion. It requires a longer conversation. Outside of the field, most people don’t know of whom I am referring to with that usage. I don’t blame them. Prior to my entry into the field, I wasn’t familiar with the usage either. I knew only of one such person, and