"There was to be a cross-burning in our neighborhood that night"....

[jodymarie aimee]

I am a writer and rec'd my first award in 2nd grade at St. Stanislaus School in Stevens Point, WI. A golden plaque that stayed up for decades !! Anyway, I came across this piece and wanted to share the beauty of words and this fellow's story. Sadly, hate still exits today.

In the early sixties, my family lived in Alabama, the "Heart of Dixie' or as the state motto says. I was taught to take pride in the fact that our city did not fall to the Union Army during the Civil War: General Lee may have surrendered, but we never did.

One evening my father came home from work at the meat-packing plant and announced that there was to be a cross-burning in our neighborhood that night. A white man from out of town had brought his black wife to live here, and the Ku Klux Klan would not stand for such an affront.

After we'd finished our supper, Dad took down his shotgun and gave it a cleaning. Mom pitched a fit. She didn't think Dad should be involved with this mess:after all, he was a married man with a family. Dad left her crying on the porch as he climbed in his old Dodge pickup and drove off.

Dad came home he next morning after the sun had risen, tired and bleary-eyed. Mom clucked around him like a hen over a lost chick, but pride sparkled in her hazel eyes.

There had been no cross burning the night before, because my father had spent a sleepless night sitting on a porch and waiting, shotgun across his lap, beside a man he didn't know, to face a flock of cowards wearing sheets whom he knew far too well.

"Taking a Stand" by Daniel Harris Sept 2005

[Lunabell]

1. Teary eyed I read this.

Thank goodness for those who are courageous enough to stand up for what is right.

[HipChick]

2. K&R

A must read..

[Pathwalker]

3. Not what I expected, and I thank you for that.

Awesome.

[bobbieinok]

4. Is this by you or is there a link? (Using Crome on a tablet)

[PunkinPi]

7. Here's a link from The Sun Magazine...about midway down

https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/357/taking-a-stand
Author - Daniel H. Harris
Huntsville, Texas

[erronis]

25. Thanks for that link to The Sun Magazine - this one article looks fantastic!

[Nitram]

5. Wow!

[BigmanPigman]

6. He sounds like Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird.

[cp]

8. Quiet hero

[IronLionZion]

9. Not all heroes wear capes

[mcar]

10. Beautifully written

People do stand up. It's important to remember that.

[TexasProgresive]

11. Thank you so much for posting that.

[Maraya1969]

12. Oh damn!!!!! I didn't see that coming. Thank you for the tears coming down my cheeks.

[SWBTATTReg]

13. Thanks for retellling this beautiful story...nt

[AllaN01Bear]

14. read this to a friend ovr the phone and bookmarked the link for

reading the full story later . the author is right . hiding behind sheets . computers . telephones and letters for harrasments sake is cowardly. i cant stand stupiditys sake ad fears sakr klatoo the day the arth stood still.

[Duppers]

17. Yes! Sheets or computers.

but psst...your last sentence needs some clean up.

[RandomAccess]

15. wow

That's literally all I can say --- or see to type.

[Nictuku]

16. That gave me chills!

[bronxiteforever]

18. Wow just fantastic. Kick and recommend

[Kind of Blue]

19. K&R

[Scarsdale]

20. Surprise ending!

Pleasantly surprised. Let's hope those days will not return to this country. We came so very far, then look what happened - Donald tRump and all his bigotry.

[NoMoreRepugs]

21. When America was "great" it wasn't so great.

People had better be ready to fight again cuz the conservative madness gripping the country is only going to get WORSE.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

22. Goosebumps.

And teary eyed. 💗

[Aristus]

23. I wish I could claim such heroes in my family.

My mother (who was born in Montgomery) had two uncles who were in the Klan. When she got engaged to my father, they wanted to take him out one night "to meet the boys", they said.

As they were walking with him out to the car, he saw a pair of shotguns lying across the back seat. My mother tells me my dad did a kind of "Ooh! Look at the time!" and beat feet out of there.

Not participating was the extend of heroism in that case...

[geardaddy]

24. Beautiful!

Thanks to your dad and thanks to you for telling a story in need of telling!

[Ferrets are Cool]

26. What a wonderful story. nt

[nolabear]

27. Each one of us can make a difference. Don't EVER let them take that away.

Look at what people throughout history have done. People who stood up. We can stand up.

[uponit7771]

28. K&R