MY STORY ON RACISM
THE WAY I WAS RAISED I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT WE WERE LIVING IN THE 1960'S BECAUSE WHERE I GREW UP. CHILDREN WERE RAISED TO HATE AND NOT RESPECT WHITE SOCIETY BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. MY FAMILY ALSO TAUGHT ME THAT THERE WAS NO GOD AND THAT IF YOU WANTED SOMETHING, YOU HAD TO GET IT BECAUSE THERE IS NO GOD THAT IS GOING TO GET IT FOR YOU. AS I GOT OLDER, I REALIZED THAT THIS WAS TRUE AND I WAS BEGINNING TO HEAD DOWN THE WRONG PATH DOING ALL TYPES OF DUMB STUFF. THEN I MET THIS WHITE PASTOR NAMED JIM BRINEY WHO MADE MY VIEWS ON GOD, RACISM AMD THE WAY I WAS LIVING, CHANGE.
I AM FROM AN ALL BLACK COMMUNITY WHERE I SAW WHITE SOCIETY AS THE ENEMY. WHITES GOT ALL THE GOOD JOBS AND LEFT US AFRICAN AMERICANS STRUGGLING. ALSO, THEY WOULD LOOK AT US LIKE WE WERE ANIMALS IN A CAGE. WHENEVER I SAW A WHITE PERSON, I WOULD GIVE THEM SUCH A WICKED LOOK AS IF I WANTED TO KILL THEM! WHITE SOCIETY WAS ALWAYS TRYING TO GET MY FAMILY AND ME IN SOME TYPE OF TROUBLE. FOR EXAMPLE, ONE TIME I WENT INTO THE STORE AND I OVERHEARD THE OWNER SAY, " WATCH THE TWO BLACK GUYS IN THE BACK." I JUST HAD A RAMPAGE IN THE STORE! I ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT WHITE SOCIETY TREATED US THIS WAY BECAUSE THEY HAD ALL THE MONEY AND POWER. I REMEBER WHEN MY HOUSE WAS SET ON FIRE. EVERYONE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THOUGHT THAT IT WAS A WHITE MAN WHO DID IT. I ENDED UP HAVING TO MOVE TO A PLACE THAT I JUST HATED BECAUSE IT WAS AN ALL WHITE COMMUNITY.THAT'SS WHERE I MET PASTOR BRINEY.
BEFORE I MET HIM, I THOUGHT THERE WAS NO ONE IN THE WORLDWHO COULD MAKE ME CHANGE THE WAY I FELT ABOUT WHITE SOCIETY. THIS MAN TREATED ME SO WELL. HE INVITED ME INTO HIS HOME, LET ME PLAY BASKETBALL IN HIS YARD, AND TOOK ME OUT TO UNCH. HE EVEN SHOWED ME HOW TO DRIVE AND EVENTUALLY, HE GAVE ME MY FIRST CAR AND JOB. PASTOR BRINEY TAUGHT ME THAT JUDGING PEOPLE IS NOT THE RIGHT THING TO DO. AFTER ALL THE TEACHING HE GAVE ME, I HAVE EDUCATED MYSELF THAT WHITE AND COLORED ARE TEH SAME TYPE OF PEOPLE, BUT WE DO HAVE DIFFERENT TYPE OF CHARACTERISTIC.
When I FIRST MET PASTOR BRINEY, HE HAD NO IDEA THAT I DIDN'T BELIEVED IN GOD. ONE DAY HE SAID, CHARLIE YOU SHOULD COME TO MY SERMON. I ASKED WHAT IS A SERMON? HE SAID IT IS CHURCH! I SAID I DONT BELIEVE IN GOD SIR. HE SEEMED VERY SURPRISED AND HE TOLD ME TO COME CHECK IT OUT. I FIGURED SINCE HE HAD BEEN SO NICE TO ME , I SHOULD GO TO CHURCH. DURING THE SERMON, HE WAS EXPLANING TO THE CHURCH WHAT GOD IS; IT HIT ME HARD IN MY HEAD AND HEART. I UNDERSTOOD HIM, AND AFTER THE SERMON WAS OVER HE CALLED ME UP TO THE FRONT AND TOLD THE WHOLE CHURCH TO PRAY FOR ME SO I WOULD GET AN UNDERSTANDING AND BELIEF IN GOD. THEN HE PULLED ME TO THE SIDE AND ASKED ME, DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD IS NOW? I SAID I DONT KNOW BUT TO BE HONEST, I STARTED TO FEEL THE LORD! IF I WOULD HAVE NEVER MOVED TO THAT WHITE COMMUNITY AND MET PASTOR BRINEY I WOULD HAVE HAD A RELATIONSHIP ITH LORD HIMSELF.
BEFORE I MET PASTOR BRINEY I WAS HEADING DOWN THE WRONG DIRECTION. I WASN'T GOING TO SCHOOL. I WAS SELLING DRUGS TO THE WHITE SOCIETY. I WAS ROBBING PEOPLE, AND HE KNEW ALL ABOUT IT. I CAN SAY THAT HE WAS A FATHER FIGURE THAT I HAD NEVER HAD BEFORE. PASTOR BRINEY ALSO HELPED ME OPEN UP MY FIRST SAVINGS ACCOUNT, ANDSHOWED ME THE WAY TO SAVING MONEY. HE SHOWED ME THAT BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT THAT IT IS WHAT I MAKE THAT IS POSITIVE OUT OF IT THAT MAKES ME A MAN. HE SAID THAT WHEN YOU FALL IN LIFE YOU HAVE TO GET BACK UP AND LEARN FROM THE CONSEQUENCES. HE ALSO TAUGHT ME THAT RESPECT CAN TAKE ME LONG WAY, BECAUSE HE KNEW HOW I WAS TALKING TO WHITE PEOPLE. I CALLED THEM ALL TYPES OF NAMES; HE TOLD ME THAT WASN'T GOING TO GET ME FAR IN LIFE. I REMEMBER WHEN HE CAME IN THE HOUSE AND HE TOLD ME TO SIT DOWN AND SAID CHARLIE HERE IS TEH KEYS TO BRAND NEW MUSTANG, BUT YOU HAVE TO PROMISE ME THAT YOU WILL LEAVE THAT LIFE AND FOLLOW ME AND THE LORD.
I OWN ALOT TO PASTOR BRINEY BECUASE OF HIM AND GOD I STARTED LOVING WHITE PEOPLE. I HAD A FEELING THEY WERE NICE PEOPLE IN ALL DIFFERENT WAYS. HE SHOWED ME THAT FOLLOWING GOD ISN'T BAD IDEAL. AFTER I STARTED READING THE BIBLE, I STARTED TO PRAY EVERY NIGHT BEFORE I WENT TO BED. I ALSO WENT TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY. HE THEN SHOWED ME THE RIGHT AY TO GO IN LIFE AND TO SEE THE POSITIVE SIDE OF EVERYTHING. I OWE THAT MAN SO MUCH AND I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO HIM FOR EVERYTHING HE HAS DONE FOR ME TO TURN MY LIFE AROUND.
