A story in black and white.................

[Bob Wright]

First of all, I grew up in the segregated South, and I, along with my family, were among the segregationists. That changed many years ago. I now live in a racially mixed neighborhood. The house two doors down is rental property, and occupied by a white family. Next door to them, a black family. Now, on with my story.

Yesterday evening a violent storm passed through Memphis, dumping torrents of rain, severe lightning and high gusty winds. A huge old pecan tree in the yard next to me, some fifty feet in height, fell, falling across the house and yard of the rental property. The massive tree blocked the whole front yard, covering two cars and punching two holes in the roof. The occupants stood out in the street, at wit's end wondering what to do next. It was the Fourth of July, nobody could be reached for help. A young black man, resident of the neighborhood, was passing by just after the calamity, and spoke with the renters.

"Give me a few minutes," he told them, "and I can round up some folks with chain saws and we can get most of this done before dark."

"No way!" was their reaction. But within an hour or less, some six or eight men had come together with chain saws and were busily clearing away limbs of the fallen tree. As of this morning, the trunk and major limbs are still there, but the roof of the house is clear, they can get in and out of their driveway, and a blue tarp covers the punctured roof. The occupants still had electric power, and were able to sleep in the house last night. Nobody asked skin color, folks just came together to help folks.

So much negative information is broadcast today, I just wanted to bring a little light into some darkness. Memphis is not such a bad place after all.


Bob Wright

 

[eveled]

People are people, some are good some are bad. Color, makes no difference.

Always nice to hear of people helping each other.

 

[blume357]

My firm belief is contrary to what some folks want you to believe, most people regardless of their skin color or religion are good and will help anyone when they can.

 

[olcop]

Thank you, Bob.
olcop

 

[Tallbald]

Two doors away in either direction from Miss Penny's and my home are two black families. They both have children young to grown. I will stand shoulder to shoulder, armed, with either family to provide protection for these people who are my neighbors. I tan readily and deeply. And my lips are full. Once as an ER nurse a young black couple of twenty somethings from nearby Western Kentucky University were my patients. The girl asked me if I was black or biracial. I grinned and said "not to my knowledge but if you go back several generations who knows!" I wasn't offended and really didn't care if maybe I was partly black. Neither would Miss Penny care. I insist on judging people individually and based on their merit. Turn out the lights and we all look alike. It's our behavior that defines us. Don.

 

[CGDustDevil]

Things certainly HAVE changed... Sadly, back during the years of segregation, there were a lot more families of faith and a lot less troublemakers than there are today on all sides of the 'skin color' game.

Opportunities lost...

But it's never too late to discover something nice!

Thank you Bob!

 

[CLAYPOOL]

My mom back in the late 50's told me ,"THAT THERE ARE GOOD BLACK PEOPLE AND BAD BLACK NI*****. THERE IS BAD WHITE NI****S AND GOOD WHITE PEOPLE. THE WHITE ONES CAN BE JUST AS BAD AS THE BLACK ONES. YOUWATCH THEM JUST AS MUCH AS THE BLACK ONES. YOU WILL KNOW WHEN YOU SEE THEM". A ten year old with a dead dad, a handicapped brother, and "A OLD, TIRED, 50'S SOMETHING, WORE OUT WOMAN AGAINST THE WORLD".....! We DIDMT take any hand outs and keep the farm... We been here since 29... the week before the depression started..

 

[exavid]

Sure can't fault that Claypool.

 

[Trucker]

My mom back in the late 50's told me ,"THAT THERE ARE GOOD BLACK PEOPLE AND BAD BLACK NI*****. THERE IS BAD WHITE NI****S AND GOOD WHITE PEOPLE. THE WHITE ONES CAN BE JUST AS BAD AS THE BLACK ONES. YOUWATCH THEM JUST AS MUCH AS THE BLACK ONES. YOU WILL KNOW WHEN YOU SEE THEM". A ten year old with a dead dad, a handicapped brother, and "A OLD, TIRED, 50'S SOMETHING, WORE OUT WOMAN AGAINST THE WORLD".....! We DIDMT take any hand outs and keep the farm... We been here since 29... the week before the depression started..

Your mother was [is?] a smart lady!!

No race has a monopoly on ni****s or bigots!

 

[Selena]

My mom back in the late 50's told me ,"THAT THERE ARE GOOD BLACK PEOPLE AND BAD BLACK NI*****. THERE IS BAD WHITE NI****S AND GOOD WHITE PEOPLE. THE WHITE ONES CAN BE JUST AS BAD AS THE BLACK ONES. YOUWATCH THEM JUST AS MUCH AS THE BLACK ONES. YOU WILL KNOW WHEN YOU SEE THEM". A ten year old with a dead dad, a handicapped brother, and "A OLD, TIRED, 50'S SOMETHING, WORE OUT WOMAN AGAINST THE WORLD".....! We DIDMT take any hand outs and keep the farm... We been here since 29... the week before the depression started..

I was told there are white people and black people, niggers and kluckers. White and black never have any problem getting along.

 

[toysoldier]

I tan readily and deeply. And my lips are full. Once as an ER nurse a young black couple of twenty somethings from nearby Western Kentucky University were my patients. The girl asked me if I was black or biracial. I grinned and said "not to my knowledge but if you go back several generations who knows!"

My father could get very dark in the summer---he was darker than the Filipinos when he was stationed there, and my brother and I take after him. We moved to the KC suburb of Overland Park in '54. Mom would dress us in cotton shorts and send us outdoors to play. One day, a neighbor dropped by to talk to Mom. "I think the block has been integrated!" she said. "I've seen two little colored boys running around." :lol:

btw---An Ancestry.com DNA analysis showed I'm entirely British Isles and Northern Europe.

 

[Rick Courtright]

My mom back in the late 50's told me ,"THAT THERE ARE GOOD BLACK PEOPLE AND BAD BLACK NI*****. THERE IS BAD WHITE NI****S AND GOOD WHITE PEOPLE. THE WHITE ONES CAN BE JUST AS BAD AS THE BLACK ONES.

Hi,

Methinks your Mom might have enjoyed my old shooting buddy, Andy, who was the color of the darkest night, a great human being, and an absolute hoot to be around. He once asked us if we knew what NAACP stood for. Then he told us, "N-----s ain't always colored people!" He was right.

Andy had an Irish last name, of several syllables and a bear to spell right. He claimed his name was living proof not all black folks are dumb. "I gotta be halfway smart just to spell my name!" When asked where he got such a name, he asked back: "Haven't you guys ever heard of the Black Irish?"

I haven't seen Andy in years, but sure hope he's still around, and well.

Rick C

 

[rwp315]

My wife and I lived in Isfahan, Iran 1977-79. I started flying corporate and covered most of central and South America, then we spent z as short time in Russia and from there my job took me to the rest of the world.

What we and I experienced is keep away from the politics and the screwed up media and 90% of these people just want to live their lives, work and enjoy their families. We have been invited to Iranian homes for dinner, which they Westernized and had pain Russia put their arms around us and said we are the same people but the politicians cause the problems.

I’ve shot at a range in Virginia and in the stall next to was a young man from Bosnia that said he’d never be unarmed again.

We help each other!

 

[dweis]

The OP tells about America at its best. You treat a good man with dignity and he will do the same. A great thing that I experienced in the Marines was learning that race is inconsequential when good men respect other good men. We learn our lessons through experience. When we share them the benefit spreads. Hats of to the OP.

 

[Dimitr]

The media has fuel hatred amongst us all in the name of color. Good to know people are still out to help each other.

 

[black1970]

The Communist’s goal is to take over America through race and education. If one thinks they are not succeeding one is sorely mistaken. Just look around.

 

[willk]

I believe that much of the racism talk my emanate from large cities where such might actually be happening. Down here in the rural and semi-rural south, folks treat each other just like they want to be treated. (As in Golden Rule). I always marvel and the nastiness one hears over the airways.

 

[blume357]

I was raised in the 60's on a farm here in the South with black farm workers doing most of the 'heavy lifting'. Being in this cast system I was embedded with the belief that black people were lesser... not bad not evil just on a lower scale... but then within this I was also taught that their was a class of white that was below them.... at about age 15 I started getting the feeling that maybe this blacks are lower thing was maybe not right.... but it has always been embedded way down deep in my DNA so to speak... then a number of years ago I was at an older black mans house and we were discussing that the chimney for his woodstove was newer than the house and this is what he told me:

He was in the army during WWII and when he got out he went back to work at the cotton mill.... he saved up some money and bought some land out in the country and bought equipment and would go out there at night and work the fields and then his wife would pick some of the crop and bring it into town and sell and they would of course then harvest and save that money... finally got enough to buy a small mill house in town.. had it moved out to the farm... still worked in the mill during the day and worked the farm at night... had two children and saved enough to send both to college.... this is a black man doing all this in the Souht in the late 40s - & into the 60"s... I came up with one real conclusion... there are people out there that are better and stronger than me and it has nothing to do with the color of their skin.

when ever that 'embedded learning ' from my youth starts to show up I just think of that man.

 

[rugerguy]

thats their "plan", they do NOT want us to get along..........
we , you and I can only try and prove them wrong......

 

[turd]

Its not just blacks. Here in the Dakotas we have a significant number of Native Americans (Indians). There are all kinds of derisive names for them (one I can remember is wagon burners) and many white folks look down on them. Many have a drinking problem and they all bear the weight of that. Most are good folks that just want to have a little respect and be left alone to live their lives as best they can.