The Day A Boy Learned About Rascism
There once was a young boy who lived in Chicago on the south side of the city. His name is Michael, he's 9 years old (almost 10) and the year is 1981. Michael is very wiry and not very tall and is shy. He can be found reading a book or drawing...most days. Michael has a sister and two loving parents who he loves with all his heart. Mom stayed at home but always seemed busy and his dad was a truck driver but was always home on the weekends. His sister is and always will be a pain in the ass (that's a different story.) Michael is white, living in a poor and relatively white neighborhood.
Michael didn't get out much. Mike's mother was very protective of both kids, overly protective one might say. So overly protected that he only played in the (small) backyard of the house. If his mother was supervising the front yard (very small). He had no friends at school of different races and none of them black. (At this time in american history the term "African American" had not been invented yet). For Michael though it didn't matter because of his size and lack of social skills he was bullied. By bullied I mean, that every morning on the way to school there were 2 to 3 bigger kids pushing him around until he entered the school building. At the end of the day he would leave the building and have to actually fight (across the street off school grounds)..... everyday.... until the school year ended. Michael did not like school.
His favorite days out of the week were Saturday and Sunday of course. It was the only 2 days out of the week that Michael had time to recuperate and his dad would be home. If his dad wasn't too tired they would toss the footbal or baseball and play "catch" (in the middle of the street) soooo awesome.
When Sunday came though they could be found watcfhing NFL football on CBS, lying on the rug in front of the T.V. This is were he started to get his education from his dad. The Chicago Bears were legendary in the household and Michael's dad would explain football to him and tell him about all the great players. Michael had a favorite player though and his name was Walter Payton. Michael would watch and be in awe of everything that he did on the football field. He became Michael's idol and hero.
After one game a few hours had passed and while they were still watching T.V. Michael's dad turned to him and said, "Listen you can't trust black people." The statement was confusing and the boy replied, "What...why?" In a stern voice the dad answered, "because they are dangerous and will try to kill you, that's why." Michael's dad seemed very serious. The boy just looked at his father and said, "ok". His dad's look seemed to relax and Michael was still confused but was happy his dad had talked to him like an adult. (It never occured to Michael that the few times his mother had taken him to the Kmart to buy clothes... he had seen black people and they never attacked.)
Later on in the winter on a Thursday, Michael's father had come home early and asked him if he wanted to go to the movies. Going out to the movies was an extra special treat for Michael (remember no friends..counstantly being bullied) and on a school night?!? OMG... (sorry this was way before OMG). A few hours later an extra surprise happened for Michael when his uncle Tom and cousin Eddy showed up. Michael rarely saw his cousin (one of the few children he knew who didn't want to beat him up) so he was feeling as if christmas had come early. The icing on the cake was when his father proclaimed it was just going to be the "Men" going out and his pain-in-the-ass sister had to say home.
They arrived to the movie theater late! It was snowing all day and traffic was extra heavy. Back then movie theaters sometimes had a balcony and huge lobbies because they had been converted from actual theaters. There was no multiplex cinemas...just one movie. Michael's dad hated to be late but once late, he was generally is a sour mood. The lobby was empty and the concession stand as well, so Michael received a large Coke and followed his father. It was very dark in the movie theater but they found their seats and that's when Michael realized as the movie "The Sting" flickered ....he was surrounded by black people. His cousin was on his left and his father and uncle on his right which left him in the middle. His throat went dry...
He looked up at his dad and uncle and their eyes were fixated on the movie. This was the first time he was surrounded by so many black people in his life... and his father was not phased at all.
Michael started to have a panic attack.... he was drinking down the Coke thinking "Dad said they would try and kill us... Dad is acting calm, maybe that's what you do? Pretend everything is ok and they won't attack." Needless to say the Coke that Michael was drinking evaporated which caused an immediate urge to releave his bladder. There was no way Michael was moving... but the urge to pee was too strong so he nudged his dad and said, "I gotta go to the bathroom." The father, who was enoying the movie looked down "moodily" and said, "They're right by the concession stand in the lobby, we passed them on the way in...help yourself." and continued to watch the movie.
He expected me to go by myself!?! Was this some sort of test??? the boy thought. He asked his cousin to go with him but he didn't even pay attention, zoned into the movie. Michael's fear of peeing on himself outwieghed his fear of being killed and he got past Eddy and into the main aisle...looking directly down in front of his feet and walked briskly until he found the mens room. Empty....what a relief the boy thought as he unzipped his pants and started to pee in the urinal. The door to the mens room creaks open then closes. A black man in a black leather jacket and blue jeans walks in and starts to do his buisness in the next urinal. Michael had started shaking when he heard the creak of the door. With all the courage he can muster he looks up and the black man smiles down at him. As soon as he smiled, a look of pure fear was etched on the boys face. This didn't go unnoticed by the black man....the black man's smile then slowly turns into a frown... he shakes his head and sighs.... finishes and zips his pants up. He walks over to the sink and washes his hands, the bathroom door creaks open... it's Eddy. As the man dries off his hand and tosses a paper towel into the trash. Eddy's voice can be heard saying, "Hey how are ya!" The black man smiles again and waves to Eddy. Michael is confused... hadn't his dad told him the same stuff about black people? Eddy asks Michael, "why are you taking so long? Do you know who that was!?!"
"No, who was it?"
"That was Walter Payton!"
It was in that moment that Michael learned about rascism. His hero, his Idle who he worshiped was disrespected....by him. He immediately ran out the restroom but he was nowhere to be seen. Both cousins made it to their seats but Michael's head was on a swivel looking for the footballer. Michael's first thought was, it sure is hard to find a black person in a theater. His second thought was that he realised that he was trying to look at every black person and was not afraid afraid anymore and his final thought....why did his dad lie to him? He then looked at his father and felt sad.
That very same year the Chicago Public Schools started "busing" in black children to schools. This was the practice of transporting students to schools, within or outside their local school districts as a means of trying to rectify racial segregation. Two black kids were bussed into Michael's elementary school ( a boy and girl). He immediately made it his effort to become his friend. Chris and Michael became friends but this only intesified the bullying that Michael faced.
Years have passed and Michael is now 16 years old. His mother started working for a non profit organization that eventually sponsored a parade on the south side of Chicago. Michael's mother volunteered him and he was given a walkie-talkie to communicate. (this is before cell phones). As the young teen was helping out in a different section his mother called him on the walkie to meet him. After walking a few blocks he spotted her. Standing with a black couple she beckoned him over, "I want you to meet my son...Michael...Michael this is Connie and Walter Payton... Walter is the Honorary Marshall for the parade." He took Connie's hand and shook it and said, "pleased to meet you mam" before his mother's statement fully registered. Walter extended his hand towards Michael and spoke in that soft voice "nice to meet you Michael."
As Michael shook his hand his breathing intesified to the point of hyperventilating and then he burst into tears. Michael's mom was in shock but Connie looked at her and said, "This happens sometimes when kids meet my husband." Walter was smiling but knew that Michael was in distress and told him ..."it's ok Michael just breathe." After a minute Michael could barely catch his breath and the only words that would come out were, "I'm so sorry." Walter smiled again and replied, "Relax, it's okay, you don't have to be sorry." Michael was shaking his head NO but had finally started to breathe normally.
Michael finally said, "we met before (sob) at the movies(sob) we were peeing next to each other (sob)and you looked down at me and I looked back up at you (sob) and I was afraid because you were black (sob) and I never meant to disrespect you...and I'm sooo sorry!" Michael covered his face and burst into new tears. In that moment, recognition was alit in the eyes of Walter Payton....he had remembered. Walter took Michael's hands off his face and spoke, "Look at me Michael".
As the tears rolled down his cheeks, Michael slowly looked up into Walters eyes and heard in a soft but stern voice, "It's my honor to meet you Michael...you're gonna be alright...you're gonna be alright." About a minute later the parade started.
Walter Payton was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a chronic liver condition/desease in which the bile ducts are blocked. In the early part of 1999 he told the public about his condition and stated that, "he would refuse to use his celebrity to gain a preferential position for organ donation. He died on November 1st of that same year.
Everything that I've written is 100% absolutely true....because I was that boy. There will never be enough stories about his greatness off the field.
When you do something good, you tell people....
When you do something great, people tell you. --- Walter Payton
http://www.veoh.com/watch/v64616765Z6mdFKbR
I only met the man twice....both times he changed my life. He (to this date) is the greatest human being I've ever met. I always told myself that if I could act and be but 1/10th of the man that he was. I would be a great human being. There are many youtube videos about the mans life..check them out.
Excelsior!!!!!