and the day Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated on the balcony of this Memphis motel. I will be honest, I was more upset my favorite cartoon Huckleberry Hound was interrupted by the news. My parents, on the other hand were upset and devastated. I did not really 'get' it.
Sure, I had seen Dr. King on TV talking and walking alot. I saw people, the same color as me, get attacked by police. My parents would be glued to the set. The action on the TV was so far away from my own childhood existence. I never saw as many black people as I did during those times. I am sure my parents tried to explain to me what was happening, yet I just did not 'get' it. I was not even sure or how to be proud of my race. I never had to worry about 'coloreds only' signs.
I grew up in a predominately white Iowa town. In school, all we were taught about Blacks in America was slavery and George Washington Carver's work with peanuts. To be honest, not until I got out in the world and made a conscious effort to learn of my race did I start to 'get it'.
I have so far learned that not every Black person's ancestry in America was a slave. My dad's side were not slaves at all. They were few of the freedmen in Virginia, in the late 1700's on. Simply unheard off.
Forty-four years ago Dr. Martin Luther King died. He was not even forty years old.
When I was a kid, I had no clue who Martin Luther King Jr really was. Yea, OK, I saw him alot on the news broadcasts talking about 'colored people'--but I didn't get it. I rarely saw black folks on TV. In fact, I want to say Bill Cosby could have been about it on "I Spy." I grew up in a pre-dominantly white community, yet I never experienced 'colored only' water fountains or bathrooms. So on TV, to see people the same color as me, walking with signs, or being chased by dogs, sprayed with water and police beating them--I didn't 'get' it. I'm sure I asked my parents why those things were happening. Since I can't remember their answer, it must have something to sooth my grade school mentality. My priorities then were the reruns of Leave it to Beaver and the carton Huckleberry Hound. In fact, Huck and his friends were on my TV, the day the news broke in and said Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated. I do remember that. I yelled out to my parents who sat in the kitchen. They soon stood at my door to watch the news. My dad said "I'll be damned." Their faces dropped and clouded. I admit I didn't really embrace my culture or my heritage until I much older. Don't get me wrong, my pre-dominantly white Iowa hometown will always be my home. It wasn't until I left did I realize how much I missed out growing up. I faced alot of inner-race racism because folks, black folks told me I didn't sound or act black enough. Then it began when a white person would meet me and tell me I didn't sound black on the phone. My question to both eventually became, "What does black sound like?" Now as an adult, I do 'get' this. I can listen to the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I hear his determination, strength and courage. I look at the young folks of today who have more things Dr. King could ever dream of. And I wonder if they 'get' it and/or even hear a whisper?
Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated this day in Memphis. I watched some cartoon on my TV while I waited for supper. Then ABC broke into my cartoon, and I was upset--at first. The action in our kitchen stopped. I heard my daddy say "I'll be damned." Silence from my mom. I really didn't get it then. Except I knew Martin Luther King's children wouldn't have a daddy. Same way I felt when Caroline Kennedy lost her daddy. On this day, so many years later. I still think of the King children. One is Home with her parents. The other three seem to be layered with discontent. I wish I could ask my own parents their own thoughts on that Thursday in 1968.
Fast forward to this day in 2009. What a glorious day the Lord has made and be glad in it. Attended a breakfast meeting, which seemed to help me more than the meeting's leader. More validation and fellowship about my passions. More thought to step out of the box. More than I thought I had--yet really haven't. It's been a horrible week due to some ill fated decisions. I thought He gave me the go-ahead. Wrong. It was more the go-head to see how I tackle a barrel of rotten apples. Truth is, I feel the peace inside me as I work on the resolve. He didn't bring me this far to leave me.
Elvis Presley made his entrance on the world's stage--well, just Tupelo, Mississippi then. Today is his 74th birthday and the entire world remembers Elvis being on their stage. Granted, I wasn't a big Elvis fan. I may have been the wrong demographic. Alas, I saw those movies, and was jealous of some of those girls. I think my hormones started to pop in and out, because I did think Elvis was cute..for an older guy!
Elvis came through Iowa a few times, and I never ventured to a concert. He even performed in Des Moines on June 23, 1977--just two months shy of his passing. I remember my chums and couldn't decide if we should see him. After all he was so OLD! You talk about a big regret there!
In the Summer of '68, I vacationed in Los Angeles. Thoughts of the Davy Jones, lead singer of The Monkees and Sajid Khan, an actor that India gifted us with, laced my mind. Wouldn't it be something if I saw either one of my hearthrobs on the day my cousins had me in the back seat, as we sprang for a quarter or so for a map of the movie stars' homes? I know we drove around and honestly, I don't remember much. No Davy Jones or Sajid Khan, so who cared?
But then, as we drove through Beverly Hills, I noticed a beige Chevy with a Tennessee plate. It peaked my interest because, the car looked exactly like my parents' car back in Iowa. Except ours was blue. Plus what was a car with Tennessee plates doing in Beverly Hills? As we drove closer to the side of the Chevy, and I pondered this in my 10 year old brain, my cousin, Sue started to scream: "It's ELVIS! It's ELVIS!" Her husband, I remember kinda slowed down and tried to look out Sue's as he tried to not wreck any thing in Beverly Hills. When Sue screamed I looked up.
Sure enough! Elvis was behind the wheel of the Chevy. He smiled as he held an ice cream cone! My cousin instructed me to wave. Sue waved so hard and fast, I thought she might fly from the window. All the time she giggled like some teenybopper. But then Sue was only about 20 at the time. I waved at Elvis. Then I fell over in the seat, ELVIS! A REAL movie star!! I sprung back up, and we were still even with him. I stretched to see Priscilla on the passenger side. I want to say Elvis raised his ice cone to us. Just with the biggest smile on his face. He then accelerated and we just drove in silence. ELVIS! To relive that moment again, I'm sure we may have tried to get him to stop for a picture. What a memory that would've been.
Later on that Autumn, I was clueless about Elvis and and any comeback TV special. Thoughts of Davy Jones and Sajid Khan may have been back on my mind, or the newbie on the block, Bobby Sherman. As years ticked by, especially after Elvis passed. I saw bits and pieces of the show, and eventually the entire '68 Special. Saw how good and happy Elvis looked, draped in all black--that he was ready to take on the world. Maybe no more of those same kinda plot movies. And I'm sure, maybe not one Vegas jumpsuit was in Elvis' sight. When I feasted my eyes and ears as I watched Elvis perform this song on the '68 Special, I witnessed real passion when someone truly uses the gift God gave them.
Happy Birthday, Elvis. I'm sorry I missed your aquaintance.
and the day Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated on the balcony of this Memphis motel. I will be honest, I was more upset my favorite cartoon Huckleberry Hound was interrupted by the news. My parents, on the other hand were upset and devastated. I did not really 'get' it. 
