my papa

message (i think maybe the first email my dad has EVER sent) reflection:
Hi kids

Tomorrow I turn 53 years old which is a historic time for me as it is not only my golden birthday as I was born in 1953...but I have outlived my own father who died at 52. A lot has occurred in my lifetime. I was born COLORED in the Jim crow segregation era, became a NEGRO by the time I started school, turned BLACK in high school, and became an AFRICAN AMERICAN in college. Of course the only constant name throughout my lifetime is the N word. My mother had a 3rd grade education and my father was a high school graduate from one of the old segregated negro schools in south Carolina where the negro high school only went to the 10th grade. I lived through and saw on TV the era of MLK, Malcolm X, Vietnam war, hippies, the Black panthers, Rosa Parks, etc. Despite all of this stuff I can honestly say that I have been happy most of my life. One regret I do have is that I wish I could meet my kindergarten (Mrs.. Johnson) teacher again to let her know I turned out OK. I am sure she worried about me a few times because I hit a few kids with blocks (those kids deserved it too). Yes, I did good for a ghetto kid.

I have accomplished a lot in my lifetime and will accomplish more as I expect to live for another 25 years or so.

Love,
Dad


Good to know my dad has that whole 25 more years thing figured out, I was worried you know....what a goofball.

My grandpa was murdered when my own dad was 19 and I know it's always been a painful memory for my dad. The other day we chatted and he mentioned his outgrowing his own dad and I realized it must have been on his mind for years, would he outgrow his father....

And then tonight on the phone with him before I had read the email he explained his golden bday thing and I was like, "Dad, your golden is the day you turn the same age as the day you were born," --in his case, 5--April 5th. He scoffed at me and said his golden was tomorrow. I will not dispute that.