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Grand Dragon Press
Some may say grand dragon others grand wizard either or it began in 60s everything was a bit chaotic the death of John f Kennedy Bobby Kennedy pope John XXlll my birth and Martin Luther kings famous speech something dark was brewing at Jay Edgar hoovers broken house that stored a list of all civil rights leaders and their families what church they attended was it Baptist Jewish Catholics or the nation of Islam my family was a rainbow tribe of Italian Irish Jewish Cherokee African American my grandmother a cabaret singer my pop danced with the jazz scene from St Louis all over Chicago great legends Dizzy Gillispie was family I share a birthday with Sam Cooke Charlie Parker Armstrong Count Basie and Ella including Billie Holiday before her death was my grandmother's cousin uncanny resemblance after the speakeasy through the quietness glass breaking windows smoke fire sirens shooting panic and fear the look of horror my dad would take me to Fred Hamptons free breakfast program distress after Martin Luther King died I remember the tornadoes warnings would sound meaning a civil rights riot has begun all children with the name Parks Kings and sometimes Robinson were escorted in big sedans my name was always first two men wearing dark glasses trench coats and one in the back looking out the window I was so afraid we are going to keep you safe did you know you were named after Martin Luther kings daughter my heart pounding as we were taken to basements of school churches library the breakfast program my little ears my little mind hearing Jay Edgar Hoover tapes about bombing our schools churches daycare I felt protected but not quite safe I couldn't stop panting my dad told me everything was alright as Mayor Daley Sr announced a shoot to kill law was now in effect in and around the city of Chicago curfews for all people of color in Chicago it was also a national disaster due to giant rats taking over the city from abandoned burned down grocery stores feasting on rotten food biting infants small children and the homeless people sleeping in alley ways and on the streets Vietnam was rampage there was talks of the federal government sending in infantry divisions to destroy the African American community kill everyone and build better housing for rich and white persons my mind soared completely Mayor Daley and after we returned home to find a giant rat as big as a dog actually knocked over a giant can of vegetables the riots were rampant that night poison was flushed through all the manholes on the westside contaminated our water clothing food I remember watching the adults inventory damaged food linen my mom was in tears a lot of my aunts neighbors were clean decent safe affordable housing was the issue here that's when we relocated to a high rise thanks to my mom demanding a meeting with Mayor Daley Sr afraid rats would kill us first my dad and I continued attended meetings speakeasies after picking me up from daycare kindergarten topics were brewing about the government flushing affordable drugs to the community to basically wipe out the African American community all together with addiction poverty homelessness violence was sure to follow I didn't understand until officer friendly would speak at the schools warning students about drug abuse crime prevention safety showing films of people overdosing this was very scary to all the kids we got coloring books from the Chicago police department I always knew I would do something to help save lives from drug abuse funny today my wearing wires pregnant buying weapons and drugs from junk sick cops for the FBI at any rate we moved to a tenth floor high rise and I was afraid of heights our school withstood the civil rights riots that's when I was invited to go on a field trip to Abraham Lincolns homes singing Marian Anderson Hymns Springfield Illinois it wasn't long before Christmas Fred Hampton was murdered shoot 99 times sleeping next to his pregnant wife my eyes were so wide pictures of the daycare breakfast program on a giant zenith my grandparents chatting explaining my life could be in danger by the KKK apparently there was a list of names of civil rights leaders and their offspring on that list of targets shockingly scary all my life every time I heard the I have a dream speech seeing Martin Luther King die I myself dreamed of being killed by my name I began to be unrest my grandparents and my dad knew all the great jazz legends including Miles Davis Jet and Ebony magazine on Michigan street in Chicago so Cicely Tyson agreed to come to my school and speak to the children during the debut of the movie sounder this was the absolute first time I found comfort in my name my hands crossed my legs crossed sitting on the gymnasium floor her publicist called and said she canceled after breaking her foot but when the door opened there she was something about the way the sunlight around her like this angel she walked right up to me and asked what's your name pretty
brown girl I said Yolanda she said you're special you know you have the same name as Martin Luther kings daughter I said yes she my name rolled off my tongue and I wasn't afraid she then asked what I was going to be when I grow up I said I'm going to be a writer she smiled and said you sure are going be just that yes indeed sometimes great people do inspire us to be good to be better to be great today looking back at my wearing wires pregnant for the FBI buying weapons and drugs from junk sick cops to save lives to save a community my children in the back seat singing my girl with the FBI supervisor safe in the back of my mind I was here the little brown girl saving lives following my dreams the real blessings the infantry divisions trained to destroy the inner city during race riots they arrived with blanks after returning from Vietnam they were called baby killers not heroes refusing to kill on American soil he is now my husband my hero we are indeed a blended family finally safe in America
Copyright ©
Yolanda Nicholsen
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