Memorable moments in your life

Joan Acker's memorable moment goes back to her childhood, and she points to it as one of the major moments where she became interested in societal inequities. When she was 13 or 14, she went to downtown Indianapolis for a shopping trip with the woman who took care of her while her mother worked. This woman, an African American, got on the bus right after Acker. Acker expected the woman to sit down with her, but the woman refused. Acker was unaware of the reasons behind this decision, became upset and felt as if the woman was rejecting her. It was only later that she realized about "the back of the bus". She was completely unaware of this racist element of society beforehand.

This was very disturbing to Acker, and she spent a long time trying to understand it. She has been trying to understand various forms of injustice ever since.