![]() And the “Big Dan’s rape case,” as it was called, happened long before the O.J. Crystal Palace was a mere 16 minutes away from Acushnet Avenue, the very street in which the rape took place in a New Bedford bar all those years before. I was born eight years (to the very day) after Cheryl Araujo was gang raped on a barroom pool table Mar. There are so many things that happen before we take our first breath that will influence our lives in ways we may never know. “Mom won’t let me go over there, but dad-” ![]() I remember my dad not appearing all that angry, so, ever the negotiator, I tried making my case to him. How was this any different? It wasn’t like the women were praying at the restaurant. ![]() I remember thinking: What is her problem? Even when my aunts didn’t want me playing soccer with the men, she didn’t stop me. Side note: Not that this particular story is about sports, but it’s no wonder why so many high-level women executives in business – some of the most successful and wealthy persons in society – were once girls who played sports they’re well-acquainted with operating (and thriving) in historically male-dominated spaces. Many times when I went to a family party and the men and women were segregated, I joined the boys and men without a second thought, feeling something of a gravitational pull to the games of futebol. I was accustomed to entering predominantly-male spaces. The bartender was a man and only men were at the bar. “The bar is not a place para raparigas (girls),” my mother scolded. But when my mother found out I had been at the bar, she reamed me out. ![]() I think there was even a pool table or a foosball table. Unlike the white linens that had adorned the banquet, the bar seemed casual, approachable, and, in a word, cool. No older than 10 years of age, I moseyed over to the next room, following one of my tios to the bar, hoping to score a maracuja-flavored Sumol or a non-alcoholic Shirley Temple cocktail. It was a family party at the Crystal Palace Restaurant, which served traditional Portuguese cuisine at the downtown corner of South Main Street and the heart of Portuguese culture in Fall River: Columbia Street. ![]()
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