History Lessons

We find ourselves in Greensboro, NC where the Woolworth sit-in happened on February 1, 1960. If you don't know what that was, here is a link http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18615556 .

We drove by the Woolworth building, 301 N. Elm St, that is currently being renovated into the International Civil Rights Center and Museum that is slated to open on the 50th anniversary, February 1, 2010. We were told that a statue of the four students that started the sit-in was located at the University where they were students. We with the help of our trusty GPS Girl Friday, Betty, found the North Carolina A&T University.

After asking directions from one of the students, we found the 10 foot monument in front of the Dudley Memorial Building. Donna Renee pulled out the video camera and Laura and I snapped pictures of the statue, the beautiful trees and architecture surrounding it. Nature called and I told the girls that I was going to run inside to the restroom. As I ascended the majestic stairs leading to the entrance of the building, a very surreal thought washed over me. I turned and looked behind me. I saw the back of the statue with Donna Renee's back alongside theirs as she panned the area for b-roll. It hit me that if this moment was 50 years ago, I would not be having this experience. It simply would not be allowed.

50 years ago I as a white woman would not be anywhere near an all African-American school. I would not go up the stairs to use the restroom. I would be somewhere else using a restroom that was just for me and my kind. I would not be taking photographs of four celebrated young men who dared to stay at a lunch counter when it was not allowed. I would not be traveling with a black woman working on a documentary, let alone call her best friend. People just didn't do such things.

I gulped the thought down and made my way into the building that houses an art gallery and fine art classrooms. I asked the two people behind the counter if there was a restroom that I could use. "Of course. Right around the corner," was their response. My mind once again time-traveled to a place where if the situation was reversed, I might have directed them to a room that was marked "colored only."

I took care of business and returned to the counter. I thanked them and told them that I was working on a documentary and handed each a card. I introduced myself and found out they were Ian and Lauren. Ian is studying architecture and Lauren just finished getting her degree to be a dietitian. She will return in the fall to do her masters in social work. Her big dream is to link the dietary work with her social work and create a home for battered women and children.

Ian excused himself to another room as Lauren and I continued our conversation. She is a radiant 22 year old. I found out that both of her parents are pastors and her father is considering becoming a hospital chaplain. She said they were a dynamic duo. She said her dad thought about things before jumping into them and always loved to make people laugh. Her mom was the type to see what was happening with someone immediately and to get right to the heart of a matter and really help them through their pain. She said her mom was a real prayer warrior and knew what was going on with her, even when they hadn't talked. Lauren talked about wanting to make a significant difference in her world. We talked about how hard it is to break out of the shadow of people that you greatly respect. How do you become your own person when you also want to be like those who helped shape you?

I asked if I could pray for her and she extended her hand. One black hand, one white hand clasped each other across a counter in Greensboro, NC. We talked to our one God that had created us both, one black, one white, each pursuing specific calls to help those who are having a hard time helping themselves.

Interviews off film

We are currently in Charlotte, NC, a growing city inhabited by newcomers from all over the country. It is beautiful, affordable, friendly, and a place where New York transplants say they can relax. We have been in the state for less than 72 hours and have had many off-camera interviews. From years past, these are sometimes our very favorite.

Our first memorable moment was with Mitchell, our waiter at Chili's in Wilmington. He was energy-packed, dancing through the day to music coursing through his head and veins. He was extremely attentive, engaging, and made us feel as if we were in his home. Come to find out, his big dream, before he gets old or tied down, is to get in a Winnebago and see some places. Then later in life, he wants to own a dance night club. I just wanted to scoop him up and take him with us. He would make an excellent traveling companion.

Our next conversation was with our anonymous Starbucks's barista in Charlotte who gave us a recommendation for a place called Dishes for dinner that night. Before he came up with that establishment, he recommended a few others that selective eaters in our car could not stomach.

We made our way to Dishes, a quaint little local restaurant that includes, on most plates, a homemade biscuit and a deviled egg. Our host had a Lord of the Rings quote tattooed on his chest.

I wandered over to a place called House of Africa after our meal, a shop just half a block down on the other side of the street. The girls came in after I had already struck up a conversation with the owner from Senegal, finding us taking turns fanning one another and laughing about wool scarves in June. He correctly identified my jewelry as being from Kenya and Donna Renee's from Ghana. I told him that we were making a documentary and he looked intently into my eyes and told me that his life was a documentary all by itself. I asked him how long he had been in the states and he said twelve years. I asked him what had brought him here, and he responded with a deep sigh and said that story was much too long and that I could hear it if I came to the Juneteenth gathering. I told him we would be long gone by then.

Laura and I were looking at purses and realized that we were in the middle of the walkway. I looked to my right and saw an empty chair, so I decided to plop down. We spoke with the two women who were sitting on the couch beside the chair. We gave them trip cards and Kim took a look and said that she was Anderson and the other woman said she was Angela. Instant connections, starting with names. The longer we talked, we found other connections as well. Both Angela's were teachers. All of us were Christ followers. We asked them where they went to church and Kim's husband Keith entered the conversation by extending us an invitation. He displayed his shepherding skills by writing down directions, telling us we could come dressed just as we were that night, giving us his phone number and telling us that they would commit to praying for us as we traveled. I knew that he truly meant it. We ended the conversation with hugs all around and the hope of seeing one another the next morning.

We ventured to our hotel downtown and ended up in another encounter with our bellman, Bernard. He is originally from New York. He used to drive buses in NYC and now works for the hotel and the Red Cross. Laura and I were waiting a good while for Donna Renee to return from parking the car, allowing us some extended time with our remote NYC tour guide. He helped us think through our future visit about where to stay, how to get around, and where to most happily feed our faces. He helped us to our room, after a brief scamper to collect the contents from an escapee bag that left bottles of water rolling all over our 3 star hotel lobby.

When we got to the room, we talked about his experience as a New Yorker in North Carolina. He told us that we could find God here. He called this the Bible belt. He said it in such a way as if this was a new, catchy phrase that he had just become acquainted with since landing here. He said there were a lot of churches and that the people were a lot different here in comparison to New York. He seemed pleased by that. We gave him a card and thanked him for everything. We saw him again this afternoon, then later this evening where he gave us our dinner recommendation and a discount card. Thanks, Bernard.

This morning we made it to Kim and Keith's recommendation, Life Pointe Christian Church, after a brief literal run-in with a woman rear ending us at a light on her way to church. No damage done, we made it in the doors as the music started. Nate, the preacher for the day, led us through the opening of his series about the "Red Letters" found in Matthew. It was good to hear not only the Word of God preached, but done with passion and excitement. It was incredible to sit in a contemporary setting, round cloth-covered tables scattered throughout the congregational seating area, topped with Bibles, offering boxes, communion elements, pens, connection cards and mints. It was refreshing to see the Scriptures found not only on the screen, but also in the Bible held and read by the pastor, as well as from the Bibles owned or borrowed by the congregation. We had communion, the service ended, and the campus pastor, Bill, came over and introduced himself. We talked with him about his church, about our project, and then his wife and daughter came up. We asked how we could pray for them and the church. The church is in a tremendous growth spurt and all that goes with that. Their son Ross needs the marrow in his arm to grow so that his arm will not break again and will form properly. We prayed with them and gave them a magnet to put on their refrigerator so that they would remember to pray for us. They recommended for lunch a BBQ place we had seen on our way to church.

We wandered over to Jim and Nick's BBQ Kitchen and had an amazing experience with our waitress Laurie and the manager Miller. The motto that we picked up by both of their responses to requests was, "whatever you want." We got into great conversations with them both at separate times. Laurie is a teacher and can't wait for August to come. She loves her job and has found her calling working with developmentally challenged students. Miller when asked if he was one of the owners said that he was not but that he acted like he was. It showed. Laura said that he was a man who loved his job. When he talked about his boss, he sounded like an evangelist who had found the way and had to share it with everybody. It was beautiful to watch his faith in working for a place that had their priorities straight and cared deeply about their quality of service because they truly cared about the people who came in to be served. He told us about his crisis of faith and his return. He also told us he would drop in to our website home from time to time.

We ended the night on a stroll to the place that Bernard sent us to, greeted by the words of many famous authors on the pillars of the downtown library. Walk, snap, walk, snap was the sequence as we read, took pictures, and moved to the next literary treasure .

We grooved to the peels of Wham! drifting out of the Fox and Hound, landing at our destination, Rock Bottom Brewery and Restaurant. Our twenty minute wait gave us a chance to people watch. We were shown to Andrea's section outside, another New Yorker, a full-blooded Italian who we found out wants to use her marketing degree to work for NASCAR. Her dad is a race car driver, but she doesn't want to ride on his connections. She wants to make it on her own. We talked about the adjustment and loneliness of moving to a new city when school was not the reason you were there.

I know my blogs of late sound like I am trying to get a gig with a travel/dining magazine. Although that would be tempting, my desire is to share with you the reality of the road. We have to eat, go to the bathroom, fill our car with gas, and check into hotel rooms to get some sleep. That is a good portion of what happens on this journey. The beauty is that no matter what we are doing, we find God wherever we go.

If you are one of the ones mentioned in this blog, know that we really are praying for you. If you are on the virtual journey with us, here's to looking for God in life's mundane moments, where He never fails to be found.