Goodbye, Sally Santana. You were a voice crying in the wilderness in our county, a voice for the homeless and poor. I met you a few times at meetings and even though you were crippled and suffering in health, you were clearly a voice to be heard. You were formidable. A prophet.
Like a prophet, you were a living reminder of our obligation to the disadvantaged. You were as tough and tenacious as Jeremiah in the Old Testament. You experienced homelessness yourself as a child, but somehow you overcame all barriers and grew up to be a fierce advocate for your people (yes, I think of them as your people).
Your were practical, realistic, earthy. You knew what it's like for those who sleep under a tarp in the rain, or go to school on an empty stomach. You knew what it's like to be confined to a wheelchair and have to wait for the Access bus. You knew sickness, poverty, and death.
You're gone, but your voice will stay with us. Rest in peace.
