we spent a day at the Beloved Community Center in Greensboro, NC and besides learning about the sit-ins and visiting the actual Woolsworth site (where construction on a great museum is scheduled to finish by Feb. 1, 2010 for the 50 year anniversary of the four A&T freshmen first sitting-in) we also spoke with the inspirational Rev. Nelson Johnson about his current social justice work. When we showed interest in his work with the Latin Kings street “gang” he called up the NC leader King J and brought him over to speak with us. He told us about the racist cops here and the Latin Kings’ participation in inter-faith and inter-gang dialogue for peace and justice. Our students were real excited to take a picture with them.
The Beloved Community Center also houses the Faith Community Church, which we visited for Sunday services the day before. One of our students, Maella, volunteered to sing a song for the congregation and she blew us all away woth her powerful spirit.
I cried.
I can’t remember the last time I’ve cried, and I don’t know why I did, but something in the passion of her voice and the spirit of her song brought it out of me. Perhaps i’ve been bottling up some feelings lately, because this was a much needed, albeit brief, release. Nobody really saw me, but I told the students about some of my feelings when reading a journal entry. I’ll tell you about it too if you wanna know, just hit me up.
Please google the Beloved Community Center and the 1979 Greensboro Massacre, as well as the Greensboro Truth & Community Reconciliation Commission to learn about the struggles that this southern city has been and is still dealing with today. You need to know about it. Oh!! And don’t forget the 1969 Dudley/A&T Revolt. Rev. Johnson and other students organized the local high school students to democratically elect and install a young Black student as the SGA president, and the backwards white folk weren’t havin it. Shit got serious and the Rev and the Student Organization for Black Unity occupied NC A&T for three days. Why didn’t you learn about this in school? I’d love to answer that question with you over email or in person, but know that the BCC is working to get it taught in NC public schools.
We are on our way to Atlanta right now. We’ve been covered by several news stations, so i will try to get back on fo give you the links to those videos so you can see some of my students on tv on the internet.
peace and blessings.
JBT 