Five Journal Entrys

September 15, 1963

Today it was burning I had to go get some cold air. So I went under a giant magnolia tree and it felt good, it was like a little break from the Albania sun. When I woke up I heard Momma about to yell for me. Than before she yelled my name she came outside and said "Well, I thought you'd wandered off. how are you this morning." "It was too hot to sleep" I said. " Think you can last one more week" Momma said, than I said "Uh-uh." Well, isn't better than winter up North" Momma said than I said " Quit teasing, Momma, you know it isn't. I wish I was back in our igloo in Flint." She laugh than went inside the house. I started going to sleep under the tree and thought I was dreaming when the noise came. I felt it more than I heard it. Doors opened all over the neighborhood." Than dad opened the door and said that it could have been a sonic bomb. Where the church was at , Joetta! When I went over there he didn't see Joetta and he saw to girls one the floor wearing blue and red dress. Than Kenny went home a Joetta was there clamming that she was chasing me?

September 14, 1963

I went to the lake with Kenny and Joetta and Gramma Sand told us not to take the right lake 'cause the wool pool will take us. Kenny wanted to go a said " go get killed by the wool pool." Than he asked me " what is the wool pool." I said it is Winnie the pool evil brother and it takes kids like it took 7 kids lives. Than Kenny what to the right lake and me and Joetta went to the left. I heard Kenny in trouble i said to myself " The Wool Pool gots' Kenny." So I fought the wool pool and got Kenny out and I told him "I love you" and also I was hugging him tight. It was just how Mr. Roberts dog drowed and Mr. Robert saved his life, it was like a rewind in time, the same.

September 12, 1963

We arrived to Gramma Sands house and Byron was acting like a good child. Everybody was hugging Gramma Sand it was hard cause' she was little. I think nobody wanted Gramma Sand to pop, like popcorn. If there was one thing I could not take is this Albania sun it was HOT! It was even hotter cause' I was from Flint it cold there and hot here. So I think I can't survive in Albania heat.

September 13, 1963

Birmingham was like an oven. That first night I couldn't sleep at all, me and By had to share a bed and we were both sweating like two pigs. Byron sleep on the floor cause' he said it was a little colder. Than I went outside I said " Morning Dad. Morning, Mr. Robert. Morning, By." Byron just grunted and said " Man, you gotta quit drinking so much water, you sweated up the whole bed last night, i ain't sharing the bed with your leaky little bu--"--he looked at Dad--"with you leaky little self again."Mr. Robert said " You boys'll get used to the heat."Dad petted the dog and said, "He's to old to hunt?" " Oh yeah, that dog won't hunt no more. He's just like me, lost the desire. Both of us got to the point where we just couldn't pull the trigger. Both of us got to be just like Joe Louis toward the end . Remember his last fights,Daniel? Remember how Joe'd just walk around the ring waving that left fist like a threat, he just couldn't throw it, he just couldn't pull the trigger no more, his mind told him to do it but his body wouldn't cooperate. That's me and Toddy."

September18, 1963

Today there was a funeral for the four girls who died the day of the church bombing. People were fighting cause' white folkes were the people who bombed the church. Every colored are protesting because whites can't just hate blacks for no reason. Dr. Luther King asked people not to seek revenge, but the people are still very angry. I hope this never happens again.