The Dotte: A Dedication

I was born and raised in “The Dotte.” When I tell people that are not from around here, I may get a look and a semi-sympathetic, “Oh” or a surprised reaction. People assume I am from Johnson County. Maybe it’s what I wear or how I carry myself, but I will chuckle and proudly say, “Nah, I’m from The Dotte.”

Some people may know some things about “The Dotte.” That it is indeed Wyandotte County, that we have this “Dotte Original” logo that can be found on shirts, hoodies, and license plates around town and that we may be referred to as “Crimedotte” from time to time. Since I have been raised here all my life, this was all that I knew besides the huge contrast of Johnson County. When I came to Emporia State, I had some culture shock because I hadn’t been around so many white people and I’ve had to learn that not everybody knows about city life or have had such a diverse culture to grow up with. It didn’t take me long to develop a sense of pride for my hometown. To be happy to say that I live in Kansas City, KS not MO. I also developed a sense of gratitude for being able to call this my hometown because it is so diverse and full of an array of people. I think people need that in their life or at least have the opportunity to be exposed to it at some point.

I learned last semester in one of my classes that Lyon County and Wyandotte County are the two poorest counties in Kansas. And I happen to live in both. Lyon County is where Emporia is located. Despite being poor in wealth, I can surely tell you that these counties are not poor in people. Everybody knows everybody. In The Dotte, I have the joy of being a part of this community of catholic school kids since I went to a catholic school until I went to Sumner. I got to run into quite a few at a little bar owned by one of them now called Chicago’s downtown in Wyandotte this Spring Break. It is close to Strawberry Hill that has rich history and was where my elementary school was. Full of ethnicity and I love it. It really does seem like catholic schools are prominent in this town. There also have been a lot of people that went to Sumner that have been successful and doing big things. It was great to see raw good talent in high school whether it was seeing strong emotions from an African American performing a forensics piece or our basketball team winning state. It made it even better when we succeeded when we knew that the well off schools and the Johnson County schools looked down on us because of where we came from, how we looked, and how we didn’t have the resources like they did. Yeah, we didn’t have all that they had, but it sure seemed like we had more talent and in some cases maybe even more heart.

I like going to places and seeing familiar faces. I like that we have small restaurants and bars that only The Dotte has. I like that we were chosen to be the first city ever to have Google Fiber. We were chosen out of over 1,000 applicants. I like the little attitude that comes with people that are from The Dotte. I like that we can still shoot off fireworks on 4^th of July. I like the beauty of our own little city that is developing with the Kansas Speedway, Sporting KC Park and more. I always have to look at the Kansas Speedway from the highway every time I pass by it. It really is beautiful. And it’s beautiful what has come about since its creation. Soon enough, all the revenue will come back to The Dotte and it will be beautiful what it can do for our little town that can.

So this is for all the Dotte Originals. We really are quite some original people and I love that. I’ll say it and I’ll own it when people ask me where I come from. I sure love talking about our town to people. Thank you for the memories, laughs, and good humor. Thank you for this home and for giving me this little spunk and extra flavor to bring everywhere I go outside of The Dotte. Thank you for helping me grow an extra big heart. Love you, Dotte.

Sparkle & Shine,

Rachel 

History

The girls that attended the last BUILD Beauty meeting probably hated me for about 5 minutes when I first told them that we were going to be writing poetry during our meeting. I really do think a couple did. In the end though, I think they enjoyed it and were able to open up. I was really excited to introduce them to it and break them out of their shells. Poetry can really be a great creative way to express and delve into ideas, feelings, and emotions.

At the meeting, we talked about Danica Patrick and how she made history qualifying for the pole at the Daytona 500 and then making history by placing 8th. Somebody tweeted that they were celebrating more for an 8th place finish than the actual winner. It rubbed me the wrong way as a supporter of women. I've been a part of making history at ESU with Blue Key being a woman of firsts. I wouldn't want somebody to speak down to that. So I decided to write my poem about history and making it. 

History

History.

Let's make history.

History that's written in books

and makes a home in the records.

She may not have gotten first,

but she was the first

to do what she did

and that's big

just like winning it all.

That big.

Let's make history.

Whether it's first to fly

or first girl in Blue Key.

That's history.

First to lead.

First to succeed.

First to be anything

you want to be.

That's history.

It's big.

It's history.

Sparkle & Shine,

Rachel

At lunch in Manhattan with a few members of the K-State Blue Key.