Home » The Archives » Chapter 13 » Cold Front
| Re: Cold Front [message #873 is a reply to message #872] |
Wed, 25 July 2012 17:35   |
artisticrainey
Messages: 1228
Registered: July 2012
Location: Northern Ireland
Karma:
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Field Commander
Switzerland |
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November 15, 4:30 PM; outside Freedom Hall at the King Center in Atlanta (10:30 AM the next day on Tracy Island)
Lena stood beside the reflecting pool gazing into the water, thinking about what she'd seen and learned that afternoon. What dey teach us in schools, even now, doesn't begin to show de reality, she thought. Of course we know who he was, and about his "I Have a Dream" speech, and about his assassination, but dere's so much more to know. I'm glad Joy asked me to come here.
When she had told the Atlanta I&M manager, Carl Harris, that she wanted to take some time off to visit the site, he offered to be her guide. "I go there at least twice a year, and come away inspired every time. I'd be delighted to take you. And Thursday is a good day to go; it's not so crowded. No school kids, either; their field trips are usually on Wednesdays or Fridays."
"And de only meeting on Tursday is in de morning."
He grinned. "That, too."
So after a morning of meetings and observations, they went to lunch, then on to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. They visited the King Birth Home, Ebenezer Baptist Church (where both Kings, Jr. and Sr. preached), and the Gandhi Promenade. Their final visit was the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame, which had the footprints of inductees, those who contributed to the struggle for equality. She slowly strolled along, occasionally taking pictures, looking at names she had been too young to know, but knew from her history classes: Ralph Abernathy, Sr., Medgar Evers, Jimmy Carter, Rosa Parks, Henry Aaron, Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, and so on. She marveled at the number of non-blacks who had been included.
Then she stopped dead. Directly in front of her were the footsteps of a man, and the name was Jefferson Tracy. She looked over at Carl, and asked, "Did you know about dis?" as she pointed.
As he looked where she indicated, a stunned expression came over his face. "My God, no! I've seen that name a dozen times, at least, but never connected it with our CEO until now. I've always heard him called Jeff Tracy."
Lena chuckled. "I've met him and his family. Believe me, when you hear his motter call him 'Jefferson' in dat certain tone of voice, you don't forget. But I can see why you didn't realize it was de head of de corporation."
Carl shook his head. "Well, I'll be da..." He looked up at her, embarrassed. "Sorry, Lena."
"Dat's okay."
Shortly after that, they were at the gravesite of the famous man. Carl was still there, and she had moved off, waiting by the pool.
She didn't wait long. A few minutes later, he joined her. "I know you want to spend a little time in the gift shops, so we'd better get inside. They close at 5."
"Den let's get going. If I don't go home wit some tings for Joy and de twins, at least, I'll never hear de end of it."
They turned and headed into Freedom Hall.
  
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