Good Dirt

by Charmaine Wilkerson

Be aware of a beautiful moment as it is happening. Take note of your life as you are living it.

“We still have to study the standard, like Mom says. Learn vocabulary and grammar. So we can study for exams and get jobs and talk to people from all backgrounds. The standard is like an intersection in the road, you know, where we all meet. But we’re all coming from different directions.”

Our history is American history. Ebby hasn’t thought about that conversation in years. Back then, she was too young to truly understand what her mother was saying, but as it comes to her now, she thinks, Of course. Just as people were segregated in America, people’s stories have been segregated, too. But it’s all part of the same story, isn’t it?

“There will always be men willing to steal the freedom of others if they think it will bring them an advantage,” Frenchie said.

People see her skin color and decide that her heritage is more foreign in nature than theirs.

Maybe all you can do is give yourself permission to embrace the rest of your life. To play, to love, to risk. To take the beauty that someone brought into your life and share it.

These stories are part of the complex fabric of this country. History, too often, has been told from only certain perspectives. This is not good enough. History is a collective phenomenon. It can only be told through a chorus of voices.