So instead of writing I decided to go to a blog I often read and just read and think. It's the blog of a lady I've mentioned before named Charlotte Travis, and her Blog is
charottetravis.wordpress.com. She teaches a Bible Study my wife goes to on Tuesdays. I'm going to post a paragraph from her blog today, I hope she doesn't mind, that encouraged me to go on and write this. Thanks Charlotte. I just want you to know Gods words that are given to and shared by you inspire and give courage to others. And the paragraph:
Today, let’s pray for God to prepare our hearts for what He has to share with us the next few days. When you think about it, every move we make is a move of obedience. We are either captured by the love of God and obeying Him; or bound by our flesh and obeying it (which bottom line means we are bound by and obeying Satan through sin for goodness’ sake!). Talk about food for thought!
AND SO I PRAYED FOR GUIDANCE
The day was August 30, 1961. It was the first time I ever laid eyes on Rosalyn Walton and Martha Ann Holmes. The day started just like any other day It was warm as I remember. The sun was shining. There was an excitement in the air. It was the first day of school. But this day was different. I had never experienced anything like this day before because on this day for the first time in my life I would be going to school with blacks. I remember being torn because as I've written in earlier post one of my best friends, Leon, was black. I had always wondered why Leon couldn't go to school with me. I would have liked it if Leon had been there. But I didn't know these girls and most of my other friends seemed not to like them. Most of my friends at school didn't know Leon so did this mean they wouldn't like him either? And on this day there were newsmen and cameras everywhere. There were policemen and police dogs there too. I remember my homeroom class was located on the back of the school and if you looked out the window you could see fire engines parked there. I was young. I didn't really understand what was going on. I had heard the adults talk about this but maybe because of Leon, I really didn't understand. Everything seemed to go smooth that first day, and to me it seemed pretty calm all year. I never had a class with Rosalyn or Martha Ann so I never saw a lot of what they went through. I do remember seeing them at lunch sitting together at a table by themselves and wondering if they were glad to be there. I knew they had left all their friends to come to Murphy High School. Didn't they miss them? Seemed the only people they had to talk with was each other. It really didn't seem like much fun to me.
I later learned, and this is the part my memory had blocked, that Rosalyn and Martha Ann had coins, chalk, and rocks thrown at them in class. They had threatening notes put in their lockers and vulgar name written on their lockers. They were called names as they walked down the halls. They had to be escorted to and from school each day and weren't allowed to go to school dances or football games. They were totally shunned not only by the other kids but by most of the teachers. I could go on but I think you get the idea. My niece Emmy in her first or second year of school was having a birthday party. She and her mom were making a list of who to invite. Emmy asked her mom if they could invite a certain little girl and her mom asked why? Emmy responded, "Well mom, she's black" to which her mom said "Emmy, she's just a little black girl.
Emmy said, "Yeah Mom, she's little but her mom is a big ol' black woman".
I've laughed at this story over the years, not stopping to think that Rosalyn and Martha Ann were just two little black girls wanting a better life and to be included.
As I was researching, I was also reminded of the blockbusting by the real estate agents. Reminded of the fear they would put into the minds of people for profit. Not only white agents but black agents as well. I could write much about this but I hate, and I mean really hate the ugliness of it all. My brother-in- law once told me the story, and I can only assume it true because it sounds like something he would do about a real estate agent knocking on his door. When Julian answered the door he said the agent introduced himself and wanted to know if he was aware that the house across the street had been sold to a black family? Julian told him" it was the first he had been told about it but he sure was glad as he was sick and tired of all the white trash around there."
Martin Luther King is one of my heroes. Did he do everything right? Of course not. He was a man, not God. He's my hero because he had a dream! He had a dream that one day little black kids and little white kids. Little red kids and little yellow kids would be able to join hands and play together just as Leon and I had done. He had a dream that one day people would be judged not by the color of their skin but by the character and content of their heart. I share that dream. And I pray God will make it so.
May God bless and have mercy on us all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wesley, I started to comment on the title that the Lord had us both thinking along the same lines today, so was thrilled to see how it all tied together and that you shared the truth that jumped out at me this morning. I really wish school children and everyone had to read your blog so they could really be educated on racial issues. Such hard stuff - no wonder we hate to think on it. But how important to remember. And thank you for the comedic relief - Julian's comment made me laugh out loud!
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