On Christmas day in Birmingham I would get in the back of Uncle Moss's car and ride to their house to celebrate the day. As we rode through Niggertown the high pitched whine of skate wheels on the pavement was wild and it was loud. All the little white kids had gotten new bikes. None of the African American children came from families that could afford any such luxury. There seemed to be no shame and no irony in the concept of the name of area.
Willie had come out of that culture, a superior athlete, a model citizen.
I was always for the indians over the cowboys. Raised by women, I will always be aware of the superiority over men. Of course John Lennon's "Woman Is The Nigger Of The World" reminds me that he was also raised by women.
It seems that the things that matter most to me always come from the disadvantaged. I will fight for the rights of the underdog with all the love that I can muster for all of my life.
Here's Willie.
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