07/13/2020
I'm up now thinking about not dying. Stay home, I tell myself. Don't be going to the home grown BLM rally in Winn Dixie. This Saturday, while another part of me says go. Go and help, like we did when some knuckle-draggering mouth breathers painted "K*K' here on a church (black), a church, a sacred place, a place to worship and wonder and sing and eat in the little common room. I was scared when the first load of white people drove in(Mary and I were 2nd on the scene, got the call from our lii buddy Ruth, when we were working in the yard, all grubby. but Ruth called and needed u so we jumped in our truck and up we went (not too far, just up the road). "K*K" bigger than s**t, right there spray painted on the sign. And me thinking them days were over.
Well them days, i guess, are not over. We were scared about them coming back, but first we took stock about checking out the church, then we broke up in smaller groups to drive the areas with other churches. Some damage, a little her and there.
BUT,
Two things. When we got back, an ass load of white people in cars started slowly going by very slow, and I thought "oh s**t here we go" but it wasn't them (those people you know) it was a white congregation from Woodville Methodist, there to come help us out, to band with us. White people! Good (God?) people. Stayed for the service. Christianity at best!
AND,
and after the service, here come the Jacksonville F.B. I., poking 'round, led by a young, very sharp, lady. Asking questions, taking photos an prints, all that. A NATIONAL response, here for us commoners in lil ole Wakulla.
ALSO,
I learned a lot that morning. The feds, worried, I guess, about another possible church (Black) burning were there when they got the call. Mary and I, working in the yard in our grubbies, got in the truck and went when we were called. Our friends, black an white, dropped everything and came up. No time for make-up or putting on the suit. Just come! Come and help. I learned there were other white people just as upset as we were. I learned a new phrase for the spray-painting K*K folk --Knuckleheads, the sheriff said. And, sadly, learned they are still here.
AND,
Thats why I will be in the Winn-Dixie Parking lot with the BLM kids this Saturday. I'm old, feeble, really will have to social distance.Have no business going.But I will show up. I talked about it one MLK day at a little black church. I dressed in my grubbies, the same clothes I wore, that K*K day and basically talked about when you get the call, go: as you are, as soon as you can, as you can. Those are our NEIGHBORS People! All ages, all (hopefully) colors. No rioting. I'm too old to riot. Tear gas would probably kill me (listening, Sherif Miller?), and it ain't my style. I don't mind, as some of you know, calling a spade a god-dammed shovel, but not violene from me. Ever.
If your a mind, come. Come as you are, as quick as you can. Don't come to r riot or loot, come to show up.To support our neighbors, who've had it pretty rough growing up.As Herb Donaldson says, we're so small, for such long time everybody's related. In some sense, they really ARE our brother,sisters, cousing, cousins one-removed.
AND,
If your a mind, share this post. You old hippies, start coming out of the woodwork, let's show these kids how non-violent protest goes. We can't link arms and sing, but we can sing, dammit. And listen to what our brothers and sisters have to say. And be with them.
AND, share this post. Thank you and God Bless Us all! All!
