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  Eva (bigswede2002) 3-Pundit Username: bigswede2002 Post Number: 37 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 81.226.54.68 |
Hi everyone, I just discovered that James McBride, who wrote the wonderfully inspirational book "The Color Of Water" has worked as a musician for Jimmy Scott! I would love to hear Soul Sister's memories of McBride-I only know him from his book, but both he and his Mother seems to be such good people-and his tribute to his mother really ties in with the "mother" thread. Also, here are some excerpt from a McBride interview that seems *so* appropriate in relation to the vandalism thread-I think McBride raises some very important issues that have been discussed here, by Juicefree and others. It just seems that the world today is a very different place than it was when we were young (and when I say "we", I mean those of us who've already reached that golden middle age!;-)). Here are some excerpts to show what I mean: Dave: If you were growing up now, do you think you'd have the same opportunities? Would your chances be better or worse? I'm curious because I know you spend a lot of time now as a public speaker, particularly at schools. McBride: It's a good question. One of the reasons I do what I do is because I think it has a lot of effect on young people, and they need all the help they can get. If I were growing up now I'd probably be in jail, the kind of kid I was. There was no crack when I was in high school. Heroin was around some, but crack wasn't. Crack is so much more accessible, and the drug culture today is so much stronger than when I was a teenager. So in answer to your question, I think it's harder to be a young person now. There are so many different ways that young people can get screwed up. Television is a much more powerful influence now than it's ever been. We have to do the best we can to keep young people from floundering. There's always a big discourse about how to get young people to read, for example, but if the parents aren't doing their job, it's an uphill battle, period. I'm lucky I grew up when I did. I'm very concerned about my own children, knowing what the world is and what exists for them out there. I don't think we've given our young people a lot to aspire to, in terms of our own behavior as adults. Dave: Growing up, did your family seem unusual to the people in your peer group? McBride: No, by and large, with the exception of a few knuckleheads, my mother was not only accepted in the black community but also respected and admired by black mothers. Why? Because black mothers want the same thing for their children that white mothers want: to do well in school, to be good kids, to go to church, and so on. She had all these kids who didn't bother anybody, who took care of each other, you know? You knew that if one of her kids was coming to visit one of your kids they weren't going to cause trouble. (Unless it was me or maybe one or two others!) But we were known as a family that took care of ourselves. If you messed with one of us, there were several others that you would eventually meet up with. That's how it was. It was a city. end of quote Here are some more good links on McBride; http://www.jamesmcbride.com/in dex.htm http://kaf.louisville.edu/mcbr ide/ |
