CREATED EQUAL

Good evening from Miz Barbara,

I’m a Southern gal through and through. Growing up in the 1950’s South I saw some puzzling things. For example, until I was eighteen, I never knew there were separate water fountains in public places. Years before that Mama sewed clothing for people to help supplement Daddy’s income. She was a beautiful seamstress and one of the things she did so well was formals for the local girls. The girls brought her a picture from a magazine, she took their measurements, cut out a pattern from newspaper and created a dream of a dress.

What puzzled me was the reaction of the townsfolk when a Colored woman asked if Mama would make a prom dress for her daughter. I’ve confused you—the dress wasn’t the puzzle. The boycott of Mama’s dressmaking skills was the puzzle. Why did people act like that? What difference could it possibly make who she sewed for?

Bless Mama’s kind heart. She taught all of her children that God created all of us and forbid us to mistreat or disrespect any living thing. In this case, she stood her ground and that girl had the most beautiful dress. I can’t remember any of the other many dresses Mama made, but I will never forget the beauty of that yellow dress—or the smile on the wearer’s face.

Remember what Mama said? We’re all created equal. That goes for the people who live in Harts Corner, and for those who write in this blog. So we’re making some changes—we’re inviting other voices in. Now, just a darned minute, you two! Don’t get your panties tied up in a wad. Stop and think of this: You are going to run out of words (and spit), those special memories to share, and maybe even recipes. We want to keep this blog interesting and we need some more blood to do that.

So, all things being created equal, we’re gonna share this with some of our friends and family. Well, like who? Cora and Leonard Skaggs might have a lot to say—she is always volunteering to help people in town, and he and his little band play some fun gigs. Pastor Micah might want to give us a little spiritual uplifting now and again. Some of the church women have great recipes and know a lot of the history of this town. Bethy Rose even said she’d like to talk about her life, maybe even some of the kids in school. And MM might persuade Miguel to give us some safety tips and ways to keep crime out of our neighborhood.

You folks look out for some new writers on this blog.