Penny's SAHM Journal

February 5, 2006

Do you dare walk alone?

Penny, Collin, Caleb, and their friends visit the premiere screening of "Dare Not Walk Alone" that "attempts to bridge the gap between the ideals of the Civil Rights generation and the new struggles of the Hip Hop generation."

On Saturday, February 4, 2006, Collin, Caleb and I were amongst an audience of about 400 concerned people at the Ritz Theatre and LaVilla Museum in Jacksonville, Fla., for the premier screening of "Dare Not Walk Alone -- The War of Responsibility." This thought-provoking documentary, directed by Jeremy Dean, focuses on the often-forgotten and significant role that St. Augustine, Fla., played in the birth of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

According to Cobb.com: "When Americans think about the key events in the history of the civil rights movement they tend to think about the arrest of Rosa Parks and the ensuing Montgomery Bus Boycott. Or maybe the 1963 march on Washington, or the church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. Those events led congress to draft federal legislation that would outlaw the segregation that existed in many Southern states, but that legislation stalled. Very few Americans know that it was protests in picturesque Saint Augustine, the nation's oldest European city, that actually triggered passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964."

Today, my family and I live a mere 45 minutes away from this historical area where we have taken many field trips; a place that is featured in the text book pages in my son's school books; and the same place where Dr. King and his supporters marched along the streets and beaches and made their presence known at local businesses to take a stand in creating a better America -- an equal America! Doesn't my family's close proximity to this historic area make it an even greater responsibility of ours to some way support Dean on his mission to remind America that the war of equality is far from being won -- and that we must continue to find ways to help make Dr. King's dream fully come alive?

The fact that 1/3 of St. Augustine's African-American population currently live below the poverty line -- combined with the fact that 1,000,000 black men are imprisoned, nationally -- one can't argue with Dean, a Caucasian who grew up in St. Augustine, that something in our community is still far from living up to the dream that Dr. King had in mind! One can only admire Dean's I'm-doing-something-about-this attitude, and I believe many of us would do well to follow his example of literally picking up the torch of Dr. King and numerous others and move forward, because there is still much work to be done! Many hands working together bring results. Did Dr. King march alone?

While St. Augustine is well-known for regularly attracting hundreds of tourists to the area because of it's picturesque beauty and popular historical attractions, how many actually leave there having witnessed--or even realizing--that poverty in St. Augustine is as realistic as their visit to this interesting place? Don't believe me? Take a drive to St. Augustine's West side next time you're there. In that area live people, such as Christoff, a teenager featured in "Dare Not Walk Alone," who believes that his Hip Hop "voice" is the only voice that stands a chance of finding a better life for him and his family. While I do hope Christoff's Hip Hop dream becomes a reality because that appears a passion of his, I also pray that "Dare Not Walk Alone" makes such an impact on the powers that be -- that the standard of life for Christoff and his family (and others) is raised even before Christoff strikes his record deal.

According to www.darenotwalkalone.com: "...It is our experience that the vast majority of young people have little or no knowledge about the Civil Rights Movement and the fight has therefore become irrelevant. This film attempts to bridge the gap between the ideals of the Civil Rights generation and the new struggles of the Hip Hop generation."

Parents, let's be mindful of not robbing our children of this knowledge. Dr. King's dream is not fully a reality yet, so I'm sure he's counting on us and our friends--and our children and their friends--to write the next chapters in the book of equality! His dream is still evolving and needs our help!

What will you do to support this cause? For starters, visit www.darenotwalkalone.com!

Momtoaboy@aol.com