Middletown Roots: Featuring the Exciting " Adventures of Super Sistah": Ship Ahoy !

By Melvia F Miller

This compelling book is a story of the lives of 20th century survivors of the African Holocaust, written with humor, satire and wit. At a time when our leaders are entangled in debates over affirmative action, racial harmony, and reparationsthis author has synthesized all these issues into a masterpiece on the topic. Once you begin reading it, you will find it enjoyable and difficult to put down.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Sep 23, 2002
• ISBN: 9781462087136

Melvia F Miller

Dr. Melvia Miller (poetess, educator & historian) is an expert in the field of African-American history, cultural diversity and Multi-Cultural Education. She has received many honors and awards for her work, including being named to: WHO'S WHO in America, WHO'S WHO in American Universities and Colleges, and "Young Professional Woman of the Year."

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ghts Reserved © 2004 by Melvia F. Miller

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

iUniverse, Inc.

For information address:

iUniverse, Inc.

2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100

Lincoln, NE 68512

www.iuniverse.com

The people and incidents in this book are true, but some of the names and dates have been changed in order to protect the innocent.

ISBN: 0-595-23078-4

Printed in the United States of America

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…a true life story of an African-American woman’s experiences with racism, sexism, slave ships, and space ships—written in the language of her own personal diary.

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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS

BOOK:

This book is mainly for adult reading and includes the insightful stories

by Super Sistah:

Universal Laws of Life

Ujambo

Ship-Ahoy

AND A SPECIAL SECTION TO HELP YOU CHANGE YOUR INCOME: Have a Million Dollar Day

At the end of this book there are educational games and activities to help make learning about these sensitive issues interesting, fun, and effective.

"The Adventures of Super Sistah’ will be published in separate episodes.

This book is dedicated to my 2 wonderful sons, Malik and Mikal, who have been the light and delight of my life. My sons are very special people and will receive most of the benefits, proceeds and honors derived from the sales of my books. I could not have accomplished the completion of this book without my 2 sons.

In addition, this book is also dedicated to all of the SUPER SISTAHs who came before—and who have set great examples in the world, including the following:

Harriet Tubman

Sojourner Truth

Phillis Wheatley

Madame C.J. Walker

Mary McCleod Bethune

Gwendolyn Brooks

Sarah Delaney

Rosa Parks

Lena Horne

Maya Angelou

Hallie Berry

…and many other SUPER SISTAHS

~Melvia F. Miller (author)

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Thanks to the great Universal Spirit & Energy, (which sustains all life in the universe) of love, truth, knowledge, and light for my success in writing this book.

THANKS

A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY WONDERFUL MOTHER AND FATHER for raising me. My mother is a very special woman who has a great big heart and who is the one person in my life that helped me the most. She helped me with her loving words of kindness, financial assistance occasionally, and mostly because she told me often that I was someone special, which was important for me to know growing up as a Black female in a white racist society.

Considering what my parents had to endure from White society in the days that they were raising us—it is a miracle that any of us turned out to be normal, healthy, productive citizens.

I could not have accomplished this writing project without the help, support and love of all of my many friends. I deeply appreciate all of the people who have assisted me in various ways throughout my life.

~Melvia F. Miller

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DISCLAIMER

The stories told in this book are based upon true events, but some of the names of the actual people and details have been changed to protect the innocent. Their names are not important—but what happened in their lives is.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Middletown Roots

Chapter 1 …Growing up black in Middletown

Chapter 2 Racial Violence

Chapter 3 School de Segregation

Chapter 4 Roots of Self-hatred

Chapter 5 College Life

Chapter 6 Black Awakening

Chapter 7 Sistah-2-Sistah Issues

Chapter 8 Humor is Good Medicine-

Chapter 9 Action Speaks Louder than Words

Chapter 10 Traveling the USA

Chapter 11 Las Vegas

Chapter 12 Teaching the Next Generation

Chapter 13 Melina’s Exposure to the Medical World

Chapter 14 Ujambo

Chapter 15 Slave Ships and Space Ships

Chapter 16 Feedback from Readers

About the Author

Foreword

by the Mooney Twins…of Los Angeles, CA

This book is full of information that is important and progressive. We are thankful that the author, through her character Super Sistah, helps us realize that our true wealth is our health. With her wit and wisdom, Melvia Miller has brought us a remarkable, yet clear and easy to understand book.This book is insightful, entertaining, and humorous. Author Melvia Miller’s research and life experiences give her the foundation to share her ideas in this unique way.

Super Sistah is the heroine writer, who shows the power of the pen…and who uses her powers of the pen to save us from sickness and ignorance. Because of her dedication to freeing our minds of hatred and racism, along with healing the planet, using Mother Nature’s botannical remedies along with clean air, clean water and clean attitudes—Super Sistah invites everyone to come aboard her friend-ship. This author brilliantly reveals the connections that ships have had in forming our lives and society.

We recommend that you not just read this book once—but twice or thrice. Allow it to be a joyful journey for you, your family, friends and loved ones.

~ by Dwayne Mooney

NOTE: The Mooney Twins are known as comedians, health educators and advocates of helping ordinary folks become healthy and wealthy. They have performed from coast to coast and appeared on BET-TV Comic View.

They are popular speakers, known as The Concious Comedy Duo—who use humor and history to teach about the importance of health and knowledge. Dwayne and Darrell Mooney are the sons of the famous comedian Paul Mooney who created the comical ‘HOMEY THE CLOWN’ for the TV Show In Living Color.

THE VALUE OF HISTORY—

People grow much like a tree..

Reaching high

Up to the sky

Yearning to breathe free !

Much like a tree

Our roots need a deep hole—

Knowing our history.

Can heal wounds and sooth souls.

A strong tree

Needs deep root.

It is the symbol of liberty

Reaching for the light of the sun

Desiring to grow into the truth..

Without truth about our godly role..

Pain, suffering and mental anguish

Manifest from the hole made in our souls

Due to the nourishment that is missed.

All souls are on a journey

To become liberated

Look back in history

Memory to see

From whence we were all created.

by Melvia Miller

INTRODUCTION

This story begins in the small city in Indiana. Often considered to be the Basketball capital of the world.. it is the home of famous personalities, such as David Letterman and the cartoon cat Garfield.

Middletown was already a town made famous by a book titled: MID-DLETOWN and its sequels—MIDDLETOWN REVISITED and MIDDLETOWN FAMILIES.

These incidents and stories are true—except that the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Middletown Roots

featuring:

The Adventures of Super Sistah

INTRODUCTION

In 1924 and 1925 studies were conducted in the small industrial city that later became well-known as "Middletown USA. This was one of the first scholarly works to attempt to describe the culture and social environment of a typical American city. Helen and Robert Lynd published 2 books, based on these studies, titled: Middletown (1929) and Middletown in Transition" (1937). There are several other books out on the market about this city.

Those authors described Middletown as a good specimen of American culture… Middletown is a small city in eastern Indiana on the White River, 54 miles northeast of Indianapolis, IN. They described the Teacher’s College as one that would grow into a major University.

Forty years later, another group of scholars went back to Middletown and repeated additional studies. They wrote a book titled: Middletown Families (1982).

These books discuss the following topics in scholarly ways:

Religion and the Family

Working Women

The class system

Sex and Marriage

However, little mention is given to the conditions or life-style of the African-American citizens who live in Middletown. The only major comment made in all of these studies states, There is a surplus ofblack children and a deficit of young black adults…

This factor was attributed to the lack of decent jobs available to Blacks in Middletown. Unfortunately these books do not examine the plight, history or conditions of Middletown’s Black population. During the time that the Lynds conducted their studies, this city’s government was operated by the Ku Klux Klan.

Middletown was plagued by racial turmoil, protests, and segregation. The African-Americans who lived in Middletown often called it Dodge City—likening it to the famous cowboy TV show.

The stories in our book "SHIP AHOY’ are derived from the diary and memoirs of our super-hero …Melina…who became known as: Super Sistah. Because of her exceptional writings that she did about the situation. Since Melina was born and raised in Middletown, they are her actual accounts of events that took place in Middletown USA. The stories are true…but some of the names and details have been changed to protect the innocent.

Chapter 1

…GROWING UP BLACK IN MIDDLETOWN

PICTURE IT——Middletown, Indiana 1948:

Our story begins in 1948 in Middletown, Indiana on a cold December evening when an African-American baby girl was born to Mr. & Mrs. Melanin Milner. They named their baby girl Melina.

Melanin and Liza Milner were the descendants of run-away slaves out of Kentucky. The Milner family had once migrated into Indiana because of need to find work or a way to support themselves.

Grandpa Milner was a farmer by trade, but he did not own any farmland because in most places, the law prohibited Black people from owning land in certain areas. So since he loved farming, he had to use land that belonged to a White man.

This couple lived on the side of town called: Brownly—where all Black people were forced to live. Most White people lived on one side of town and any other non-white minority groups (e.g.—Mexicans, Africans, Puerto Ricans, etc.) were permitted to live only in certain sectors. Racial segregation was the rule of law in those days.

Most businesses, stores, and agencies—were completely racially segregated. Everything from the Police Department to the Power & Light

Company to the College—was staffed and operated by Caucasians (White people). The few blacks that had jobs in these institutions were the janitors, maids, and a few clerks. Racism was alive and well.

The houses were very small, undecorated, simple and made mostly of wood. Some houses in the Black areas did not even have porches or floors. Many had coal-burning pot-belly stoves inside.

The homes in the black community were very simple and small. Most of them were plain in style and built of wood, with big windows, but not much else.

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Many of the houses also had out-houses near the alley for years until the city government decided to put sewers in the Black neighborhoods.

Middletown was also famous for its criminal activities. It was the headquarters for illegal prostitution and gambling at one time. One of the main streets in Middletown was nothing but a row of whorehouses ….nicknamed the red-light district. Gangsters such as John Dillinger and Bonnie & Clyde frequently resided in or had connections in Middletown. In fact, the house right next to where Melina lived had once been a hide-out for Dillinger.

Middletown’s Mayor had been the GRAND DRAGON of the KKK (Ku Klux Klan) during the days when Melanin was in the military. Melanin Milner had served in the U.S. Navy during World War

TWO…where he experienced terrible acts of racism from his own fellow sailors. Mel returned home to his country only to meet with more discrimination. Middletown was like many racist southern towns in Mississippi, Nevada, or Florida—or other parts of the USA where racial segregation was the rule. Before he married Liza and had children, he had experienced the full effects of racial segregation and hostility—witnessed lynchings and worse.

Fortunately, Middletown had one saving quality—it was small enough to offer that Mayberry kind of friendliness and hospitality. The Black people had their own ways of helping each other to survive.

Middletown was a wild city in those days….filled with gamblers, gangsters, prostitution, and worse!! Crime flourished in Middletown. Mobsters—such as Dillinger—were known to be active or heavily invested in Middletown’s ‘red light district’—which was an area of town where prostitution flourished.

The city government for Middletown was run by the Ku Klux Klan and the area was known to be strong-hold for racist activities, lynchings, shoot-outs, boot-leg liquor, whore-houses, and worse. This city was plagued by many types of criminals, including police officers who were not honest either. Many of the White police officers were members or sympathizers with the KKK—and therefore made the idea of justice and equality for Black people a joke in Middletown. It was no big secret that many of the police officers were under-handed and not honest in their dealings. Some of them were known customers of the local whore houses and gambling facilities, which was illegal activity.

For the most part—the Black folks in Middletown operated their own stores, barber shops, restaurants, cleaners, and other businesses. There were several African-American churches in Middletown. And some people operated little businesses out of their homes, such as barbers, mechanics, janitors, cleaners, cooks, and seamstresses.

But when Melanin’s days in the U.S. Navy came to an end, the City was trying to make some changes. Melanin came home from the Navy and married Liz——his high school sweetheart.

Whatever crime flourished in the White community—also infected the Black community. So in Brownly, there was a great deal of crime, just like in the other areas of Middletown—which became known as little Chicago and Dodge City.—all names descriptively befitting of the outlaws that ran the city.

There were very few Black people that held any jobs in the major agencies above the level of janitor or maid. Black women were often seen decked out in white uniforms early in the mornings catching buses to go to work as maids out in the wealthy White neighborhoods. Black teenage boys lined the downtown streets with home-made kits make money by doing shoe shines. Middletown did have 2 African-American doctors, a few black teachers, a plumber, and a dentist.

The African-American people operated many of their own stores and businesses (such as barber shops, fUneral parlors, grocery stores, shoe shops and restaurants) in order to survive and in order to be able to avoid the hassles of dealing with racist bosses on jobs, if they could ever have that opportunity of having a job. Most of the time White people only hired Black people to do the dirtiest of work.

It was not a protected secret from Black youth that the larger White society had no love for people of color. Nearly every place in Middletown, the color factor was quickly brought to attention…. the white people openly referred to Black people as niggers. White folks had a few other derogatory names for the Black people also—such as: coons—porch-monkeys,—jigaboos—and darkies.

This anti-black propaganda and the ugly racial slurs were another outgrowth and carry-over from the days of slavery. Black slaves had one main purpose, which was to pick cotton, tobacco, vegetables, and other products without wages or any type of compensation. Slaves served the purpose of making their owners rich. Not much had changed in the sense of how the White people treated the Black people—even though the Blacks no longer lived in legalized slavery. Now they lived under institutionalized racism and segregation.

From the 1880s into the 1960s, a majority of American states enforced segregation through "Jim Crow’ laws (so called after a black character in minstrel shows). From Delaware to California, and from North Dakota to Texas, many states (and cities, too) could impose legal punishments on people for consorting with members of another race. The most common types of laws forbade intermarriage and ordered business owners and public institutions to keep their black and white clientele separated.

Even though black men were treated miserably, black females were treated the worst of any. Again, this was only a carry-over from the days of legalized slavery. During slavery the African women were raped, beaten, made to do all kinds of immoral acts for white men. Their families were ripped from them and their children were sold off into slavery. A Black female was valued nothing more than what a dog or donkey might have been worth. Her greatest value was that she could make more babies to be sold into slavery, which meant more free workers for the plantation bosses. Not much had changed in the 20th century.

Black women in Middletown were mainly used by Whites to clean, cook and babysit. They were hired as maids to work for extremely low wages in the huge homes of the wealthy White people of Middletown—such as the owners of the College. Liza Milner had been the maid for the owners of Abnormal College at one time after she finished high school.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH INTERVIEW:

On a hot summer night in 1990. Liza and Melanin Milner were sitting in their living room of their small home in the Black area of town, with a news reporter from the local Black newspaper: Middletown Negro Times. The reporter was interviewing Mr. Milner for an article for Black History Month. Melanin was recalling tales of his experiences as a Black man in the United States Navy during World War II.

The reporter asked:

"Do you think that society has changed much since 40 years ago

when you were in the Navy?

To which Melanin replied:

"Well, the white folks took down those insulting signs—you know the ones that said stuff like: "NO COLORED ALLOWED HERE and WHITE ONLY."

REPORTER: So you are saying that the social changes regarding segregation and racism have been superficial?

MEL: Yeah!!!—like I said—they took down the signs. We can now sit in the same bathroom on a toilet in a stall next to white foks. More black folks are in certain jobs….but the improvements are very limited. There is still a lot of racial hostility."

REPORTER: So-since you served in the military for this country…do you feel that it was well worth it?

MEL: NO! We black folks still do not have many freedoms like other people do. Just look at the way most blacks live in poverty and get discriminated against when trying to open a business or get a job. And black people fought for America in every single war since 1776. When I was in the Navy—the black men were separated from the white sailors. We were fighting for democracy and freedom that we have never had ourselves.

REPORTER: Tell me more about those experiences in the Navy—about the racial segregation..

MEL: Well, for example, one time the US Navy had loaded a bunch of us sailors onto a train to ride across the country to be shipped out. The white sailors sat in the comfortable part of the train and they put the black sailors in cargo. When it came time to eat—the white sailors were served real food and could get food from stores when we stopped. But the black sailors were only given left-overs. Many times we went hungry. The stores would not serve us either when we stopped.

REPORTER: Now that WWII has been over for more than 40 years—do you think it was worth it—would you do it again?

MEL: You must be smokin’ something ! Hell no!!! I came back to America after all that mess overseas and I still have not had my full rights as a citizen. If Hitler’s Mama was revived and started another war—I would not serve!!!

**With that comment, everyone in the room laughed loudly. The room was filled with Liz and Mel’s children: Melina, Karo, Juan, and Abby. There were also a few neighbors there to listen.

REPORTER.-Tell me more—why do you say that?

MEL: Well, even on jobs, they keep up mess with us. One time I was working this job—putting in some plumbing—and another worker, White guy kept calling me nigger. I ignored him as much as possible,—because I needed my job—but he walked all the way across the field and yelled it in my face. So I asked him—’how would you like to go home busted up and explain to your wife how a nigger kicked your ass?"

REPORTER: (chuckling) So you just see very little hope of White folks acting any better or treating our people better in America?

MEL: No. I do not think so. I am nearly 70 years old. I only see little minor changes—and that happened because we forced them to do it.

I have never understood why they did it in the first place—WHY WHITE PEOPLE DID WHAT THEY DID IN AFRICA, WHY THEY BROUGHT BLACK PEOPLE OVER HERE TO AMERICA TO ONLY TREAT US SO BAD. WHY DO THEY HATE US SO MUCH??? In every war, Black folks have fought to defend this country, but we do not even get to enjoy many of the benefits of the democracy that we defend. Our worst enemies have been the white people right here in America.

REPORTER: Actually I have heard that question asked many times. Don’t you think that with all the new technology, TV shows, and satellites to the moon that people will start to treat each other better?

MEL: People are suffering now as a result of what happened in the past—slavery, segregation, greedy dictators—all that. Man, I think that when these white folks get to the moon or Mars or some other planet that they might find some Black folks up there—and they will start trying to make another situation of segregation like they did on Earth!!! What will cause the White people to change their habits?

REPORTER: Do you really think that they would?

MEL: Well, Hollywood is always putting out movies showing bad monster aliens coming to Earth and messing up. I think that the only aliens we have to worry about are these American White folks. I am not even as afraid of any aliens coming here as I am of these insane White folks who have had to deal with.

(The reporter chuckled and they continued with a few more questions and then ended the interview. The story appeared in the Negro News in the next week’s edition.)

Melina was the oldest daughter who was the brainy one—egg-head of the family. She had been very smart in school and loved books. She had also been active in the Civil Rights Movement and similar activities. Melina had been the only child that finished several college degrees, had been a teacher and corporate training manager. At the time of the interview, she was a columnist for the same newspaper (which sent the reporter to interview her father). She wrote a column every issue concerning Black History and social justice. Melina had also tried to start a Cultural Museum in Middletown. She had dreams of becoming a professional author.

Karo was 2 years younger than she and was the exact opposite type of person. Karo was wild and like to run the streets. Abby was the baby of the family and had become a very talented fashion designer. Juan was the only boy—and he was a computer programmer.

Melanin continued talking to the reporter for a long time, turning his comments to the effects that discrimination and racial hostility has had on most Black people. His position was that it had reduced people to act like uncivilized animals.

Melina’s thoughts flashed back to events in her life as a Black woman growing up in Middletown—situations that had affected her….such as her father’s experiences in the military—

Melina thought that if most African-American people had experienced half of the incidents of racial hostility that she had—then this would explain many of the problems that Black people suffer with even into the 21st Century.

Nearly every mean word, every cruel act, every bit of pain and suffering in my life has had a Caucasian face attached to it—even if the perpetrator was not readily seen.

FAMILY LIFE:

Melina’s mother Liza was one of the most beautiful women to ever walk the streets of Middletown. She was a gorgeous woman with a good singing voice as well. Melanin was a lucky man to have such a lovely, intelligent wife as she. She also had exceptional talents as a seamstress and clothing designer.

Melina’s family eventually grew..she had a baby sister named Karo, born 2 years after Melina’s birth…Then her wonderful mother and father were blessed with a son, named Juan. And later in life, along came the baby girl—Abby.

Melina loved her family dearly—and helped to take care of the younger siblings. Since Melina was the oldest child in the family, she soon took on the role of protector for her other siblings. She was very helpful to her mother, taught her brother to walk and ride a bike, did errands, and generally helped around the house with chores. Her little sister Abby followed her around from the time she was 2 years old.

During these days, the main source of income for people was farming and gardening. The landscape of Indiana was decorated with barns, farm animals, and fields of corn. Grandpa and Grandma Milner lived only a few blocks away and was a farmer who was share-cropping on land owned by a White man, because the law did not permit Black people to own a farm in Indiana then. So, he farmed for another man, and was able to bring home plenty of fresh food for his own family.

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Typical barn in Indiana

Melina grew up on the poor black side of town. The houses there were basically little wooden boxes…nothing fancy. Middletown is in the midst of the ‘cornbelt’ and there were plenty of fields of vegetables.—such as tomatoes, lettuce and corn—growing all around Brownly.

Most of the Black people grew their own vegetables and ate the fruits from the trees. And many of them traded foods with each other. Food was often used as money between neighbors in order to trade for other objects that they wanted. Gardens, food and plants were a significant influence in her life from the time she was a very young girl. She enjoyed gardening in her own back yard.

Her sister Karo was almost the exact opposite type of person..she want to go out and party all the time. At a young age Karo was trying to smoke cigarettes, hang out with boys and go to the after-hours places which her father had forbidden them to ever attend. Karo’s friends thought the same way that she did. Melina and Karo were close in some ways, merely because they were sisters living in the same home. But they had such different interests that most of the time, they were very distant.

Melina loved her family very much. She was very happy to have uncles and aunts in the same vicinity. She would make it a point to visit everyone as often as possible. She liked talking with her grandparents about how life was when they were growing up. But Karo did not seem to care about these types of things at all. She could be found someplace getting into trouble most of the time.

It was the best of times because living was simple and inexpensive.. AND THE LIVIN’ was easy—It was a common practice to trade and exchange food for other services and commodities. Food was plentiful and it grew all around the neighborhood. Melina and her friends often went out into the fields and gathered corn on the cob or fruits to take home.

Grandpa Milner had raised 6 children in a big home that he built. His wages were very small—something at times in the far past like $2.00 per week. But, in those days a loaf of bread cost less than 25 cents, and so did gasoline. Most of the food was grown in their own gardens or acquired through exchanging with neighbors. Grandma could send one of the children to the store to get a pound of hamburger for less than 25 cents, and a pound of sugar for the same price. Products, food, clothing, furniture, and the general household needs did not cost very much in those days. Liza Milner could shop for food for her entire family of 6—and spend only $25 per week at the grocery store.

When the grandkids were growing up, a pair of new shoes would cost no more than $10.00—They could go to the nearby store and buy candy and comic books for pennies. In fact, they could buy a whole bag of candy for 5 cents. Even a Coca-Cola from a cooling machine was only 5 cents per bottle. And they could go to the movies downtown on Saturday and see 4 to 6 films for only 10 cents admission. Of course, the Blacks were relegated to sit in the balcony at some theatres.

As the grandchildren grew up to be teenagers, the cost of living increased, but not very much. Paying for the basic necessities—food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and utilities—was not very expensive, even according to the standards of the day. The Japanese started selling lots of unique products to the USA—such as miniature transistor radios and other gadgets. This event alone marked the time of the beginning of change in the world of industry and labor. Now the world was no longer dependent upon the sweat of their servants—the Negro people, but becoming more and more dependent upon technology.

When television was invented, Melanin Milner was one of the first Black people in Middletown to own one. He paid only $50.00 for his new TV—and it resembled a big wooden box with a little window in it. It had lots of tubes in the back and only picked up 3 channels. But, that was the new technology of the day. He often had lots of company because the neighbors wanted to see the TV work. Because of TV, many of the new products had an avenue for mass advertising—and a lot of people purchased the new inventions, such as washing machines and kitchen gadgetry.

And yet, many of the Black people still suffered in poverty because they just were not able to secure a way of making a good living. Racial segregation severely limited each Black person’s realm of opportunities. The major obstacle to Black people’s success, happiness and peace was that they had to confront the terrible rules of the racist and hateful White people.

Because of discrimination, these minority groups did not have open access to health care clinics, to hospitals or to other health services. Non-white people were relegated to find whatever health care they could—or left to be treated by any ol’ doctor that would treat them, whether he had a real license or not.

But it was also the worst of times, because there were a lot of social, health and political problems. Melina was very young when she learned that her mother’s real mother had died of an illness while in childbirth. Doctors did not know what to do for her condition. She was always saddened by these thoughts. But Melina was the type of person who wanted to do something concrete to change or solve the problems.

SCHOOL DAYS:

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Melina began Kindergarten at Bigfellow Elementary School. White and Black students attended this school, because some desegregation had already occurred. She did very well and when she reached the 2nd grade, her teacher informed her parents that Melina was extremely bright and could write stories. Some people thought she was just really smart. And others thought she was from another planet, because of her unusual insights, high level of intelligence and excellent language skills. In the minds of white folks—it was just unheard of in those days for a colored girl to have such abilities. In fact, the teachers sent Melina to a psychologist at Abnormal College for testing. Melina made such a grand impression and high scores that she was promoted 2 grades higher.

As she grew up in a small Black ghetto-type community in Indiana, she found that she did very well in school—in fact, her grades were often all "A’s" and a few "B’s"—which made some of the other kids jealous. On report card day, she found herself hiding her grades and running home to keep from getting into a fight with one of the cruel kids.

While the other elementary school students were struggling to be able to produce a decent sentence, Melina was writing complete stories. Most of her teachers were amazed with her abilities. She loved to read books and had collected whatever books she could in her room at home.

All through-out Elementary and Junior High School, Melina demonstrated that she had a high degree of intelligence and a wonderful gift of being able to express herself in writing. Her 5th grade teacher Mr. Garingo, who was one of her most favorite teachers, taught her how to play chess. One summer Melina entered into the City Wide Chess Tournament and won 2nd place, which was considered by most to be quite an achievement for a colored girl.

All her life she had experienced the phenomena that she had great insight and was somewhat clairvoyant. She like to keep this information a secret because she had learned that when she expressed it too much, most people did not understand and thought she was weird. She knew from the time she was in elementary school that she was different from other kids, but did not know exactly why.

On the other hand, she was also very athletic and a tom-boy. Melina liked to climb trees, ride bikes, jump rope, and play basketball. She and other girls her age often could be found at a small field every summer playing touch football or baseball with boys. They were just as rough and tough as the average boy that age. In fact, Melina could out-shoot most of the boys in the area in basketball.

RELIGION IN MIDDLETOWN

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During Melina’s youth, most of the Black people who claimed any religion at all were Christians. Few had any idea of what the religions of their ancestors were from Africa. Slave-masters had stripped the Black slaves of most (if not all) of the information and knowledge of African religions and languages. All Middletown Black people knew about was Jesus Christ as the Lord. This was the religion that they had inherited from their grandparents and ancestors. In fact, it was the only religion that the slave-masters allowed Negroes to have for many years. And worse than that, the Black people were taught a certain brand of Christianity. It was a religion that said to be docile and not rebellious.

Most of the Black preachers in town openly admitted that they were nothing but toms—and they went along with whatever the White people wanted done in Middletown. There were only a few preachers that had any sense of their own rights and heritage. Or at least, there were only a few Black preachers who would admit that they despised the racial segregation and white racism.

Melina’s grandparents on both sides of the family were very committed to going to church. There were several small churches in wooden buildings in the Brownly community….all within a 10 block radius of each other. The range of denominations was limited and the main religions included Baptist, Methodist, and Sanctified. The knowledge ofJesus very prevalent in this community—because it was the primary god that almost everyone mentioned. Jesus was a well-loved man in the Black community!

On Sunday mornings, the churches were filled with most of the people in the neighborhood, except for a few of the criminal-types and the wild bunch. Karo was among the wild bunch. Juan and Abby followed Melina in whatever she wanted to do, including going to Sunday School and church. But Karo thought that god was no big deal. Karo never did show much interest in religion or God or anything in that realm. Actually it was more that Karo had her mind in the gutter most of the time, where the gangsters, whores, and other low-life people like to be. Karo and Melina had totally opposite interests in life. Melina wanted to become a writer—Karo wanted to run the streets in the fast lane. Melina never understood where her sister got such odd ideas.

Grandpa Milner made it a regular habit to pick up the grandchildren every Sunday and take them to church at Chafor Shapel Church, AME.. It was located in a small building right up the street from Melina’s house. The children loved to go with their grandfather on Sundays because after church, he always took them to get some ice cream or hamburgers or other treats.

Melina was probably one of the few people at this church who could read well. Most of the people were uneducated or had only basic school-ing—without a high school diploma. They used whatever reading materials that they could order cheap—and most of them reflected