The Water Fountain Epiphany

So I'm walking with a coworker down a corridor when I see a bank of water fountains. I wasn't even particularly thirsty but but I felt compelled to take a sip, if only to see if it had that mineral-saturated public school fountain taste. As there was no one in the immediate area and I'm just that kinda rush-rush type, I moved ahead with purpose. This purpose made it hard for me to hit the brakes when I noticed a female coming out of the ladies room behind me. She had an open water bottle (in a bathroom???) and was also heading toward the fountain. I took a quick sip, just to get the taste, and rejoined my coworker.
Two footfalls later, it hit me. The realization that in the not so distant past that could've cost me a sound thrashing or maybe even my life. Whether I was drinking from the whites only fountain or doing anything that would make a white woman feel 'unsafe'.
My coworker saw I was struck by something so I shared it with him. We agreed things are better but we still have a long way to go. His guage was when these injustices were so fare behind us that we could forget them.
But for me...I don't want to forget.