Thank you so much, Kim. I’m African American and my mother was born about 50 miles inland from Brunswick. I am more than familiar with this type of tragedy; one of my uncles was lynched. My mother never knew her oldest sibling.
I plan to drop a note to “Brother James” to thank him for his splendid contribution to the upraising of this nation and to the elimination of this sick, morally/spiritually bankrupt culture of ranking by complexion.
This country––this world––cannot afford the evil “luxury” of anti-blackness and graduated criminal “justice” any longer.
His face, even more than his name, eye level or higher. Face to face. Looking me and you in the eye.
Look at me. Your brother.
If you pray, a prayer. To be with him in thought.
Then, a prayer for his killers, for the guilty, everywhere. For all who hate, hated, acted on hate. For the hellbound, for those who cursed themselves.
Oh, Mr. Willis, what tragedy, trauma, injustice, and loss. Brother James is indeed on the required reading list. The rank hypocrisy of the fundamentalists professing Christianity and believing themselves righteous is just repugnant, awful poison. Truly, we cannot afford the evil. And yet...
What a beautiful essay; thanks for posting it Kim. I think what’s important about your story is that YOU know what racism is, and that you won’t spread those ideas to those around you. It’s important every time you bring new ideas that define racism to your family, and even though your family claps back, those ideas will linger in their brains.
Remember in the olden days we used to shudder in horror at the very possibility of "brainwashing". It certainly wasn't anything that would happen here.
Just why, given the damage that he has brought to our shores, is he allowed to remain. Rupert is a foreign parasite, plain and simple, if it was growing on your body like a cancer you would have it removed.
I wrote words I should perhaps not have written, for they shared deep shock. And the moment I had written and moved to post what I had written, they disappeared. Not the first time this has happened.
I wrote, Kim, to thank you for reminding us of Jim Barger’s deep, clean, resonant, heart-to-heart message.
There are words spoken by the great Jewish sage, Hillel, and repeated in the Quran (5:32):
“Whosoever destroys one soul, it is as though he had destroyed the entire world. And whosoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved the entire world.”
A man IS a whole world.
And yet, in America, killing is as normal and unnoticed as breathing. For all that babbling about “the sanctity of life”. At most, we catch a breath, normal breathing soon resumes, and all’s forgotten. And for all the brave ongoing struggle of these Letters from an American to awaken our awareness, I came away from the account of this killing feeling powerless and lost.
“And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9)
Even if our lives are writ in water, may the spreading ripples from those lives be ripples of awareness. May awareness be our monument.
Thanks, Mike, but no, it wasn't that... I moved to press the Post button but at that moment my entire message disappeared.
I had difficulty posting another message shortly after this one and wasn't sure I'd succeeded until I saw it on my phone. The draft was still on my computer. Maybe it's the computer playing up. I've had the impression over the past 20 years or so that every time that I'm completely at ease with a Microsoft product, they scrap it and bring in something worse, when it's not plain awful.
For my own purposes, I've never had anything better than Word XP. I remember that a theoretical physicist I knew felt the same way...
I'm reminded of when I was a kid and American car manufacturers turned out a new model every year... So, even when they made something lovely to look at like the '48 Buick, it was succeeded by a crap design.
As we saw with Manila's Jeepneys and Havana's seemingly everlasting American cars from prehistory, unsafe-at-any-speed may have guzzled gas but was long-lasting...
No, this looks the same as what Jane DoughS reports. In my case WiFi on the phone functioned but my computer's wired up to a modem connected to fibreglass cable.
Thank you for this Kim. Jim Barger has written a stunningly beautiful and heartbreaking essay. His description of ”dayclean” will stay with me.
“But every day the sun rises afresh across our marshes and out across the ocean at the edge of the horizon. The Geechee word for this time of darkness erupting into color and light is “dayclean.”
I hadn’t heard about Jim Barger before, but upon your recommendation, clicked the link… and read the essay in its entirety. What a beautiful, soul-filled and moving piece! I found Barger’s writing elegant, eloquent and engaging. I now have subscribed to The Bitter Southerner’s newsletters. Thank you for sharing this with us, Kim!
Kim, I read Jim Barger's essay quite some time ago and thought about it yesterday after sentencing and wanted to read it again. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember the author's name. And here you posted it for all of us. Thank you.
delighted to be of service...what a perfect required read. Blessings upon you, Daria! Several days ago, I posted a comment that I was going to pack my 2000 Subaru and go looking for you and the expatriate community...that may yet happen.
Jim Barger's essay:
https://bittersoutherner.com/2020/ahmaud-arbery-holds-us-accountable
Thank you so much, Kim. I’m African American and my mother was born about 50 miles inland from Brunswick. I am more than familiar with this type of tragedy; one of my uncles was lynched. My mother never knew her oldest sibling.
I plan to drop a note to “Brother James” to thank him for his splendid contribution to the upraising of this nation and to the elimination of this sick, morally/spiritually bankrupt culture of ranking by complexion.
This country––this world––cannot afford the evil “luxury” of anti-blackness and graduated criminal “justice” any longer.
Your words make me flinch. We stand with you in love and solidarity.
I wrote the words that follow on November 27th. I wrote in shock. I want to write them again on February 23rd:
IN MEMORIAM — AHMAUD ARBERY
Caught.
Cannot speak.
Cannot remain silent.
How, then?
HOW?
His good face should be everywhere, his good name should be everywhere. Places. Streets. Squares. Towns. Not just in America. Everywhere.
February 23rd must bear that name.
In remembrance of him. In remembrance of the countless innocents murdered like him.
Their faces, lost. His face must stand for them all.
In Europe, they have these "stumbling stones": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolperstein
No sidewalks. And far too small for America.
His face, even more than his name, eye level or higher. Face to face. Looking me and you in the eye.
Look at me. Your brother.
If you pray, a prayer. To be with him in thought.
Then, a prayer for his killers, for the guilty, everywhere. For all who hate, hated, acted on hate. For the hellbound, for those who cursed themselves.
In the end, a prayer—a kind thought—for us all,
Human brothers and sisters.
#
And pardon me for even seeking words.
Yes. His face haunts me. So full of beauty, his pure soul blazing through his eyes.
We needed him to carry his bright light forward. Now we must carry it for him.
His mother’s dignity in grief a testament to love.
Run with Ahmaud.
Diane, I hit the "like" button, but that action means so much more. No words can say it, but you have used words well.
Reconciliation and healing desperately needed, not white-washing. Otherwise, we remain the Divided States of America, or maybe no America at all.
Oh, Mr. Willis, what tragedy, trauma, injustice, and loss. Brother James is indeed on the required reading list. The rank hypocrisy of the fundamentalists professing Christianity and believing themselves righteous is just repugnant, awful poison. Truly, we cannot afford the evil. And yet...
A warm embrace to you and yours.
Bill, blessings to your grandparents and their perseverance. Have you or anyone written your family stories?
What a beautiful essay; thanks for posting it Kim. I think what’s important about your story is that YOU know what racism is, and that you won’t spread those ideas to those around you. It’s important every time you bring new ideas that define racism to your family, and even though your family claps back, those ideas will linger in their brains.
Remember in the olden days we used to shudder in horror at the very possibility of "brainwashing". It certainly wasn't anything that would happen here.
Until Ronnie Imported Rupert onto our shores
Just why, given the damage that he has brought to our shores, is he allowed to remain. Rupert is a foreign parasite, plain and simple, if it was growing on your body like a cancer you would have it removed.
He bought the WSJ, nobody will touch him, Goebbels clone or not.
Horribly apt.
Kim, You are doing the work, spreading the word and giving light, a beautiful mission on the part of all of us. Thank you.
Thanks, Kim. It is heartening to read how Ahmaud's community's actions led the way for justice to finally prevail.
Curious.
I wrote words I should perhaps not have written, for they shared deep shock. And the moment I had written and moved to post what I had written, they disappeared. Not the first time this has happened.
I wrote, Kim, to thank you for reminding us of Jim Barger’s deep, clean, resonant, heart-to-heart message.
There are words spoken by the great Jewish sage, Hillel, and repeated in the Quran (5:32):
“Whosoever destroys one soul, it is as though he had destroyed the entire world. And whosoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved the entire world.”
A man IS a whole world.
And yet, in America, killing is as normal and unnoticed as breathing. For all that babbling about “the sanctity of life”. At most, we catch a breath, normal breathing soon resumes, and all’s forgotten. And for all the brave ongoing struggle of these Letters from an American to awaken our awareness, I came away from the account of this killing feeling powerless and lost.
“And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9)
Even if our lives are writ in water, may the spreading ripples from those lives be ripples of awareness. May awareness be our monument.
May awareness be our monument indeed Peter.
Peter, perhaps you did not press the post key before you left the page and came back?
Thanks, Mike, but no, it wasn't that... I moved to press the Post button but at that moment my entire message disappeared.
I had difficulty posting another message shortly after this one and wasn't sure I'd succeeded until I saw it on my phone. The draft was still on my computer. Maybe it's the computer playing up. I've had the impression over the past 20 years or so that every time that I'm completely at ease with a Microsoft product, they scrap it and bring in something worse, when it's not plain awful.
For my own purposes, I've never had anything better than Word XP. I remember that a theoretical physicist I knew felt the same way...
I'm reminded of when I was a kid and American car manufacturers turned out a new model every year... So, even when they made something lovely to look at like the '48 Buick, it was succeeded by a crap design.
As we saw with Manila's Jeepneys and Havana's seemingly everlasting American cars from prehistory, unsafe-at-any-speed may have guzzled gas but was long-lasting...
Excuse the digression frm serious things...
I've kept my old laptop with XP on it. I use it as a table for my present laptop. I loved my XP.
I saved mine, too!
I call that set-up Micro... something else...
XP, yes! And the rest of what you say, Peter.
I had troubles posting last night too. I went to post and it was already there, like a running duplicate.
Hmmm....... are you on WiFi? Maybe it is cutting out.
No, this looks the same as what Jane DoughS reports. In my case WiFi on the phone functioned but my computer's wired up to a modem connected to fibreglass cable.
Thank you for this Kim. Jim Barger has written a stunningly beautiful and heartbreaking essay. His description of ”dayclean” will stay with me.
“But every day the sun rises afresh across our marshes and out across the ocean at the edge of the horizon. The Geechee word for this time of darkness erupting into color and light is “dayclean.”
Thanks, Kim. This is so depressing.
It is, indeed. And, 'tis most important to know what we are up against.
Yes. Know your enemy, a friend of mine used to say.
There are times I wish I didn't know them so well.
Lots to wish I didn’t know. Chump turned them into a cult of hate as bad as KKK. Cults don’t deprogram themselves
Sadly I know them too, Kim.
Ah this. Yeeeessssss.
I hadn’t heard about Jim Barger before, but upon your recommendation, clicked the link… and read the essay in its entirety. What a beautiful, soul-filled and moving piece! I found Barger’s writing elegant, eloquent and engaging. I now have subscribed to The Bitter Southerner’s newsletters. Thank you for sharing this with us, Kim!
Kim, I read Jim Barger's essay quite some time ago and thought about it yesterday after sentencing and wanted to read it again. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember the author's name. And here you posted it for all of us. Thank you.
delighted to be of service...what a perfect required read. Blessings upon you, Daria! Several days ago, I posted a comment that I was going to pack my 2000 Subaru and go looking for you and the expatriate community...that may yet happen.
Come on down! 🌷
It is superb. He's touched the essence of the story, the malicious destruction of innocence and beauty. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.
Worth circulating again, ty.
Glad to re-read this!