There's been lots of talk about whether or not Booker was murdered because of his appearance in Frank's film, Mississippi: A Self-Portrait. This is one of the ideas that's explored in Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story. To be clear, seven years passed between Booker's 1966 news appearance and his murder in 1973. That's a long time for someone to wait for revenge.
Nevertheless, there are a whole host of strange details about the murder, and some Greenwood residents still believe today that Lloyd "Blackie" Cork was hired to kill my grandfather. Who hired him? I don't know. One lifelong Greenwood resident told me that a white cop hired Blackie to commit the murder. Interestingly, people who witnessed the murder are really uncomfortable talking about it. Even though Booker's Place had lots of customers that night and McLaurin Street was hopping with activity, only one person testified to actually seeing Blackie fire a gun. She's alive and she's avoiding me. The cop who pistol-whipped Booker Wright still lives just a short 45 minute drive from Greenwood.
If I could drop this, I would. I don't want to create a story where there isn't one, but I also don't want to be naive and believe a tale that's full of holes. I have an indescribable, difficult to explain passion for my grandfather. My love for him is fierce. I am tormented by his murder, by the loss of a man who surely would've embraced me had he been given the chance. I'm trying to think of the word to describe my feelings. It's more than duty, it's more than feeling tasked, it's more than being compelled. I know that I may never get to the bottom of his murder. Or maybe I already have. Maybe the odd, yet simple story is the truth. What I know for certain, is that I won't have peace until I've done all that I can get to the truth.
I'm hoping to sit down with Cork where he lives in a Mississippi State prison in late September to ask finally, face-to-face, exactly what happened that night. I hope to God that he tells me the truth.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Dateline
I am overwhelmed with joy by the responses I've received so far from people who watched Dateline over the weekend. I've been fielding phone calls and emails, but later today I'll make some time to post about my thoughts on the piece.
More than anything, I am delighted that my grandfather's story is getting out to the masses. GO BOOKER WRIGHT!!!!
More than anything, I am delighted that my grandfather's story is getting out to the masses. GO BOOKER WRIGHT!!!!
Friday, July 13, 2012
Are We Losing Our Humanity?
This is a question that a good friend of mine is probing through a series of community activities sponsored by ASU. This idea, that as a people we can lose sight of what really makes us human makes me think of Booker Wright.
He was surrounded by people who enjoyed him. He was fun-loving, humorous, kind, thoughtful, and humiliated almost every day. The very people who believed they had friendship with him failed to actually take in his humanity. They were living in a societal structure that let them believe that he was probably content with his station in life. Why would an illiterate black man in the mid-1960s want anything more than to wait on tables and deliver a steak and a song night after night?
What I've learned, from sharing meals and memories with these very people, is that they did truly love him. That cannot be denied. Yes, they failed to see him, but they didn't know it at the time. This has been one of the biggest lessons for me in all of this. I don't want to be so busy in my daily life that I fail to see those in need or in heartache around me. There will always be politics, but each individual that I come across in my daily life is unique and temporary. I have to choose to celebrate people even if we're not on the same side of the aisle. Booker Wright taught me that.
He was surrounded by people who enjoyed him. He was fun-loving, humorous, kind, thoughtful, and humiliated almost every day. The very people who believed they had friendship with him failed to actually take in his humanity. They were living in a societal structure that let them believe that he was probably content with his station in life. Why would an illiterate black man in the mid-1960s want anything more than to wait on tables and deliver a steak and a song night after night?
What I've learned, from sharing meals and memories with these very people, is that they did truly love him. That cannot be denied. Yes, they failed to see him, but they didn't know it at the time. This has been one of the biggest lessons for me in all of this. I don't want to be so busy in my daily life that I fail to see those in need or in heartache around me. There will always be politics, but each individual that I come across in my daily life is unique and temporary. I have to choose to celebrate people even if we're not on the same side of the aisle. Booker Wright taught me that.
Wanting the World to Know
Five years ago when I first learned about my grandfather's heroic statements to the national news crew I felt like something was happening that was bigger than me. I felt as though I was being handed a precious gift and also, that I was being tasked with the responsibility of sharing that gift with the world.
So much has transpired during those years. I type these words with tears of joy and a heart that is filled to the brim with excitement. People are hearing his story. Once again, Booker Wright's name and his words are making their way across the nation. His tender, yet triumphant story of humiliation mixed with hope is a beautiful song that, if we listen, can inform and influence the way in which we interact with one another and lead our daily lives.
With tears of joy and hands held high I proclaim "GO BOOKER WRIGHT!"
I've recorded lots of thoughts and memories throughout the course of the journey. I've put them together in a collection called Searching for Booker Wright, which can be picked up on Amazon for just $2.99. Like me on Facebook and get a free, 36 page preview of this book.
So much has transpired during those years. I type these words with tears of joy and a heart that is filled to the brim with excitement. People are hearing his story. Once again, Booker Wright's name and his words are making their way across the nation. His tender, yet triumphant story of humiliation mixed with hope is a beautiful song that, if we listen, can inform and influence the way in which we interact with one another and lead our daily lives.
With tears of joy and hands held high I proclaim "GO BOOKER WRIGHT!"
I've recorded lots of thoughts and memories throughout the course of the journey. I've put them together in a collection called Searching for Booker Wright, which can be picked up on Amazon for just $2.99. Like me on Facebook and get a free, 36 page preview of this book.
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