Burying the Truth

You probably too young to remember those times. Those times were our people could not be too careful. We have to be tough and we have to be strong. It was not easy back then. People were just stranged. People were just mean. People were just ignorant. This is the way I grew up in Savanaah. Savanaah used to be strongly racist. And the folks were not as kind as they were today. Those people have too much power and they were corrupted. They thought they could do just about anything to anyone. And I tried to teach my children this. I taught them to humble themselves and keep being smart. it is better to live than to die a fool. And because they were from our people, dying was just that easy. All my children survived their childhood and times started to get better. But oh the danger was still there. People were just more clever than they were back then. And my children freely taught their children. They taught them to be free thinking and super smart. And it started a commotion. It started a fight in my community. They did not like people like us being so clever, being so smart, and being so inventive. And I tried to tell my children. I kept calling them and worrying about their safety. I even talked to my neighbors and had a neighborhood watch. We all were worried about our families in Savanaah. Savanaah usually is quiet and well kept. Savanaah was safe and comforting or appearing that way. We usually keep to ourselves and to our families or close friends. Yeah there has not been troubled in Savanaah for a long time. And people liked it that way. And so my children comfort me and said that there is nothing to worry about. They said that being smart and black was not a crime. They said that there is nobody that is gonna harm their children. And they told me that they would fight like heck if something happen. And I was hopeful. I believed that my children were strong and well raised. I remember telling Ms. Lyda my boss, a white woman about the issue lightly. And she acted like she was concerned while reading the paper and smoking. And she would listen carefully while reading and watching the news. And I thought she was concerned. I told her that it is ok to be smart and black. And I wished I was half as smart as my kids or grandkids. Then she received this phone call and she gave me the rest of the day off. I was disturbed because Ms. Lyda was so loud that you could hear her out of her big house. And she talked about burying something. I just decided to walk home and go buy some groceries. I did not live very far. And my daughter Diddia stopped me at the store crying saying that they've done something to Sammy. And I got my grocery and got into the car with her. She explained that the kids were playing when a gang of white men surrounded them and attacking them. She think that they tied them up with ropes and put them in the back of the van. And I was worried and shouted I told you Diddia. I told you and Fred that something would happen. That these crazy people would be jealous of your children being smart, being talented, being who they are. And we worried for hours and hours and I decided along with the neighbors at church to call the police because a band of our children were missing. And Diddia said Momma don't you know Ms. Lyda is the leader of the white gang. And I grabbed my mouth and shouted My God Lord Jesus, she said about burying something. I did not know that they were gonna bury our children oh my God oh my God oh my God. And the police were a force and attentive as I confessed. And they looked for Ms. Lyda and pull her over for speeding. And she confessed and said where they would do it in exchange for a shorter sentence. And the police search on and on and the cemetery called the police and they caught them just about to bury forty children. The police with guns and rifles stop the burials. And they arrested the white gang and made them serve forty years in prison. I never worked for Ms. Lyda again and never seen her again as she never came out of prison. And Savanaah was freed and the folks never forgot that dreadful and drastic day again.