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Donald R. Barbare
A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW
After sending me off to Catholic School, my parents discovered that I held a different point of view, one that often squared me off with the priests and nuns trying to ens...view moreA DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW
After sending me off to Catholic School, my parents discovered that I held a different point of view, one that often squared me off with the priests and nuns trying to ensure I stayed on the right side of the ledger and escaped the fiery furnaces. Fortunate for me, I learned to think for myself at an early age, thanks to my mother and father who were the same ones that taught me not believe everything I heard.
Although just six-years-old, I could read the signs that said “No Negroes Allowed” and “Colored Water Fountain,” which were common during that time and provided me with a different point of view about “rocking the boat.” I knew when to open my mouth and when to keep it shut because danger rested at every corner until I reached home. Nevertheless, growing up in a country town prepared me for a world that was about change quickly.
I remember setting in the “colored only” balcony at the movies, but it would not be long before I sat anywhere I pleased, and my different point of view served me well. A freethinker since a child, I always wanted answers. I wanted to know “the why, to the why.” More times than not, the answers provided only partial solutions and I started from that point and kept going until I was satisfied.
That inquisitive nature led me to a career as a journalist and two college degrees. Although, I left the print industry, what I learned there helped me become a better researcher and sharpened my eye for the truth. Even as a child, I read constantly and retained information like a sponge, but it was my ability to ask the tough or embarrassing question that marked my search. What was I searching for? I did not have an idea, but I knew I would know when I found it.
When the answer came, I felt embarrassed that it had not occurred to me sooner. Knowledge! That was the answer. Knowledge. Upon acquiring knowledge, I suddenly became aware of how much there is to know and how little time I had to acquire it. More importantly, I also learned that the quest for knowledge never ends. For many, the answer is contentment. They found an answer and stopped, but there are many answers, the correct one is not always, where we stop.
“I became a skeptic as soon as I was old enough to tell someone. My Catholic School education solidified my thoughts, as there were plenty of questions, but no answers that didn’t ask me to check my mind at the door. Even with my parents, “Because I said so,” was never good enough. That searching and challenging nature led me to a communications career in newspaper, television and radio.” Donald R Barbera, 2012
Don is a graduate of Pittsburg State University and holds degrees in Journalism and English. With nearly 20 years in print journalism, he is an experienced writer and instructor, having held adjunct faculty positions at three universities. He has written hundreds of newspaper stories and articles, as well as a book of poetry, “Until It Ropes Like Okra,” non-fiction titles such as “Black and Not Baptist.” A man for all seasons, he has been a journalist, photographer, editor, radio news announcer, feature writer, and television personality. Don’s other work includes numerous appearances in small poetry magazines and opinion columns. He and his wife Deedee have three sons and two grandsons.view less