OP-ED I Saw Something Today That Gladened My Heart

[Barry Natchitoches]

I needed to go into a part of town today that I seldom travel in (FYI, summer Avenue near I-240, in case you were wondering, Griz) on a mission to get a medication that my wife needed, that I could not get at my usual pharmacy.

It was Saturday, not long before noon, when I saw something that really gladdened my heart:

It was a children’s carnival, being held by a church called the “Believers Church”.

Now, I have no idea what the Believers church actually believes, religiously speaking.

But what I saw was a group of - oh, maybe 300 to 500 people - roughly 50% black and 50% white - all comingling together. Laughing, sharing food and drink. Watcing kids play on all the different rides and things.

It wasn’t like you had groups of whites hanging around together in some places and groups of blacks someplace else.

No. in the middle of MemAfrica, you had families - black and white - out on a Saturday morning, enjoying life.

Together.

if I had not been on a missionto get my wife her hard to find medicine, I would have stopped to meet a few of these folks. Maybe buy a snack at one of th food trucks, as a way to use my dollars to vote in favor of the inter racial harmony I saw there.

Maybe there is a small glimmer of hope. Even in MemAfrica (Memphis, TN).

 

[et2]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Buick Electra]

When followers of Christ gather, what you have is love.

Thanks for sharing Barry! Hope indeed!

 

[ainitfunny]

I have much more in common with a black true Christian than with a atheist, white, marxist, "progressive", liberal.

 

[WalknTrot]

It truly is the content of the character, not the color of the skin.

 

[BUBBAHOTEPT]

I saw that last early November. It was at a huge Children’s farm/playground In Northern Virginia of all places. To see so many little ones and even grownups having a nice time together was indeed heart warming…

 

[Griz3752]

I needed to go into a part of town today that I seldom travel in (FYI, summer Avenue near I-240, in case you were wondering, Griz) on a mission to get a medication that my wife needed, that I could not get at my usual pharmacy.

It was Saturday, not long before noon, when I saw something that really gladdened my heart:

It was a children’s carnival, being held by a church called the “Believers Church”.

Now, I have no idea what the Believers church actually believes, religiously speaking.

But what I saw was a group of - oh, maybe 300 to 500 people - roughly 50% black and 50% white - all comingling together. Laughing, sharing food and drink. Watcing kids play on all the different rides and things.

It wasn’t like you had groups of whites hanging around together in some places and groups of blacks someplace else.

No. in the middle of MemAfrica, you had families - black and white - out on a Saturday morning, enjoying life.

Together.

if I had not been on a missionto get my wife her hard to find medicine, I would have stopped to meet a few of these folks. Maybe buy a snack at one of th food trucks, as a way to use my dollars to vote in favor of the inter racial harmony I saw there.

Maybe there is a small glimmer of hope. Even in MemAfrica (Memphis, TN).

Nothing better than children laughing Barry

 

[SuElPo]

Yes. So good to see that. There. Is an area not far from us that says Kings Kids. I knew children that couldn't wait to tell others they were a Kings Kid. They played, had different innocent activities, an refreshments. It was sponsored by a church.
Susan

 

[Toosh]

There are more good people than bad. There are more normal, sane, responsible, neighborly folks than they want us to know about. It's a shame all the crazies get all the media attention.

 

[Wildwood]

There are more good people than bad. There are more normal, sane, responsible, neighborly folks than they want us to know about. It's a shame all the crazies get all the media attention.

I truly believe this too.

 

[Ractivist]

I watched "Play Misty for Me" with a young Clint Eastwood the other day. It should be mandatory viewing for our high school kids. It shows racial harmony, the sixty's and seventy's for some reason didn't have near the racial strife we see foist on us today.....wonder why????

For the lady's, there's a ten or so second scene with Clint in his whitee tightee's
Funny old cotton baggies. Not the man we came to love for his macho ness.

 

[packyderms_wife]

There are more good people than bad. There are more normal, sane, responsible, neighborly folks than they want us to know about. It's a shame all the crazies get all the media attention.

This is what I've been saying all along!

 

[packyderms_wife]

For the lady's, there's a ten or so second scene with Clint in his whitee tightee's

That's tightie whities!

 

[night driver]

Play Misty for me, is an autobiographical story, written by Gary Dee, from when was in the radio biz in VA

Gary was involved in making the Flic.
Gary was a long time DJ here IN CLE

RELIC and I used to bump into Him over the years

Really interesting guy..

..

 

[Ractivist]

That's tightie whities!

I stand corrected, and I knew that..........

The chick who was the crazy stalker reminds me of today's rabid leftists. She may have been the mold....

 

[Dobbin]

I hope they had a pony for the children to ride on...

And cake and ice cream on squishy paper plates.

Oops!

Dobbin

 

[feralferret]

Having worked in radio, that movie is much closer to reality than most people believe. Groupies can be seriuosly nuts!

 

[homecanner1]

Barry its especially hard for us as we believed it was possible and that we could correct the racism of the past. My whole family went into teaching and with special emphasis on the rougher neighborhoods. The hatred just wasn't there in the 70's kids. We grew up loving the Jackson 5 too. I am glad you got to see that at distance and be uplifted.

 

[tnphil]

Barry its especially hard for us as we believed it was possible and that we could correct the racism of the past. My whole family went into teaching and with special emphasis on the rougher neighborhoods. The hatred just wasn't there in the 70's kids. We grew up loving the Jackson 5 too. I am glad you got to see that at distance and be uplifted.

You are correct, the hatred wasn't there in the 70s. I grew up in the late 60s (until 1971 when we moved) riding bikes and playing with dirt-poor black kids. When I say "dirt-poor", I mean living in several small shacks in an enclosed wood fence behind a neighbor's home. I don't think they had running water. They may have had electricity but cooked on wood stoves. When I would visit, my friend's mom was always very nice to me. His dad was already not in the picture. There were several ponds on a large amount of land behind the shacks, my friend and I would go fishing and bring the fish back to give to his mom. In retrospect, I guess we were literally putting food on their table that they depended on.
This was in Collierville, TN, just a few miles from Memphis.
I got curious whatever happened to this guy, so looked around. He has no first name, just initials. Turns out he is now a registered sex offender in Memphis... sad.

 

[homecanner1]

My brother took the bus with his best friend who was black to go visit his Grandma and cousins in Jonesboro in 76. That trip probably wouldn't happen today as they would not be friends in grade school riding bikes together. Nor would my brother as a white kid be welcome by the Grandmothers other neighbors on the block.

Its a different world now.