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Interracial Family Discovers Burning Cross in Yard

November 18th, 2009

shaq_howard

A white rural Pittsburgh area family with a black adopted son are
victims of a hate crime as someone set ablaze a large wooden cross in their backyard.

Joe Walbeck said he woke up early Sunday morning to discover the burnt 6-foot-tall cross hours after his son, Shaquille, high school football team lost a game in the state playoffs.

The Walbecks live in Indiana County, a farming and coal-mining community approximately an hour east of Pittsburgh. It is unknown if the football game was inspiration for the racially-charged incident.

Pennsylvania State Police officials said they have not investigated a cross burning in the area for years. The vandals face charges ranging from trespass to ethnic intimidation.

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Sistah

I stuffed the last french fry in my mouth, slid off the stool and started dancin. The juke box wailed behind me keeping rythm. "Over heah! sista" a voice spoke out. "C'mon girl get yoah dancing feet on!" I began to twist, cause Chubby Checker tole me to. My little legs gyratin and my hips popping.

""Go on girl!' another voice, this one from a big ole black man with a yella straw hat. He looked like Santa Claus, with his big belly, but he smelled like cigars, and Santa don't smoke.

"C'mon!" he said, clappin his hands to the beat. "Let me see you shake it like your sista Kate." But I kept on dancin my way,
cause I didn't have no sista Kate, just a brother named Billy.

Only he don't like it when you call em that. "Call me Bill," he would say. "Cause I'm a man!" "You ain't no man! You a boy!" I said,
and he doubled up his fist and hit me, cause he saw daddy do that to another man for callin him boy.

Chubby Checker kept singin and I kept dancin, twistin all the way
to the ground, like a screw driver was in the top of my head. Down to the floor and all the way back, cause I was double jointed and my knees could take it.

"Shake it l'il mama" another voice shouted and I wished I had on this dress I seen in a movie.This dress with all these strings hanging from it, momma called em fringes. "Could I have a dress like that?" "When you grow up you can." "A red one mama?!" "Any color you like" she smiled.

She stood by the juke box holding the last bit of my hamburger. Billy kept trying to take it n she slapped his hand, his face drooped and he sat there pouting his lip hangin down far e'nuff to trip over. The bus driver let out a big burp just as the music faded away. "All aboard ya'll."

Mama stretched out her hand. "C'mon baby time to go." "Five minutes to load up," the driver hollered, headin out the door. Mama reached over to put some change on the counter, but the man in the yella hat stopped her. "No ma'am you saves yoah change." He put down the price of our meals on top of the check. "Heah now ya'll give this to the l'il lady, whooiee chile but you shoah can dance." He handed mama a crisp five dollah bill American, smiling a crooked grin around his cigar.

Then like the pied piper done blew his flute, One by one folks stepped up and handed mama some money, smiling down at me as they shuffled on by. "Ten, twenty, thirty," she counted. "You wanna put it in your purse" "No mama save it for my dress" "Any color you like" she smiled.

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Freedom Shanty

Ain't no whip on my back,

ain't no sack held in my hand

I can come n' go when I want's to.

Oh Lawd' yes I can

I can look you in the eye

n' I can tell you where to go

and you cain't beat me massah,

no sir, not no more

Cuz I free now, Lawd Lawd' free now

Yo' cain't take my chil'ren

Yo' cain't hang me from no tree

Yo' cain't force yo' self up on me

and plant yo' master seed

Cuz I free now, Lawd Lawd' free now

I ain't no more yo' brood mare.

I can run and jump and sing

I can sleep long as I want to.

I can do most any thing

Cuz I free now, Lawd Lawd' free now

Go'an build my own plantation.

Got's forty acres and a mule

in a place called Nova Scotia

far nuff away from you

Cuz I free now, Lawd Lawd' free now

I can lay down my burden,

down by the river side

don't have to bow and scrape no more,

don't have to run and hide

Cuz I free now, Lawd Lawd' free now

Go'an create me my own eden

with honest sweat and my bare hands

and leave it for my chil'ren

when I goes to the promised land

Cuz I free now, Lord' Lord' free now

You cain't rape my daughters

or lynch my only son

Cuz I'll kill you DEAD on my land

and it sho' won't hurt me none

Cuz I free now, Lawd Lawd' free now

[excerpt from companion poetry book]

Black Orchids On The Vine A Black Girls Anthology

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The Walk

On their broken blistered feet

On their whipped and weary backs

I walked to freedom,

On their callused hands

And battered souls

I walked to civil rights,

On their blood

Bleached bones and dust

I walked out of Jim Crows doors

Into once segregated stores,

hotels and restaurants of choice.

And so today, on their faith

and hope of a better tomorrow

Some day, some day

I walk in Honour

I walk in Reverence

I walk in Thanksgiving

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Interracial Family Discovers Burning Cross in Yard

Interracial Family Discovers Burning Cross in Yard

Sistah

Sistah

I stuffed the last french fry in my mouth, slid off the stool and started dancin. The juke box wailed behind me keeping rythm. "Over heah! sista" a voice spoke out. "C'mon girl get yoah dancing feet on!" I began to twist, cause Chubby Checker tole me to. My little legs gyratin and my hips popping.

Freedom Shanty

Freedom Shanty

The Walk

The Walk

Without Sanctuary

Without Sanctuary