I was completing my ninth grade year in school and looking forward to moving back to Memphis in the summer. Dad was still gainfully employed at the Navy Base. He rode the city bus to and from Memphis, to Millington, when we moved. MaDear was working in private homes and saving the money earned to help with the move. We would still be close enough for BB and her family to visit. For the first time since my birth, we were moving to a house with electricity and indoor plumbing.
I was an adolescent and exploring my own identity. Various singers’ melodic voices were heard over the transistor radio. I believe that radio station WDIA, the local black radio station in Memphis, sponsored the Starlight Review and the Goodwill Review. Some of the older teenagers, including Rom, went to the shows and brought back programs with pictures of the singers. I was finally able to see pictures of the singers whose voices I heard for many years. I allowed my imagination to dream and pretend. There was also a newspaper published in Los Angeles with a local WDIA edition called Soul. This informative entertainment magazine printed articles relevant to black musicians and other black people. The radio station also sponsored the WDIA Teen Town Singers and High School Reporters on the airwaves. Each participating school in Memphis and Shelby County was represented. It was my understanding that two students from each school were recommended by their guidance counselors. Every Saturday, teenagers reported current events. It was encouraging to see black people achieve.
Since it was my last year at this school, my two friends and I decided to participate in the school talent show. We were inspired by the entertainment industry. We convinced another friend, I’ll call Jewel, to use her beautiful voice to sing one of Aretha Franklin’s songs, and we agreed to be her doo-wop girls. We couldn’t sing, but we could dance and carry a tune to sing back up. Jewel was so shy that it took some time to convince her to become the lead singer. Like the rest of us, she grew up in a poor family and was teased by some school mates because she was taller, more developed, and darker. This affected her self-esteem. We were her friends, so we knew she could sing. She was comfortable singing around us but not in a crowd. This was her time to shine and show the entire student body her gift. After we promised we would dance to help throw the spotlight off her, she agreed.
Read more in my memoir. It’s available for purchase in the book section of this blog.
At each stage of my life I learned a lesson. This time, I learned how a strong chain is affected by the weakest link. I learned not to make excuses. People shouldn’t support me for being lazy. Being poor didn’t prevent me from learning. I should be interested in learning because I was poor. I learned to explore skills that I was not comfortable with and listen to those willing to teach me. I learned to share the stage, and it’s okay to be in the background. We all have different gifts and should be happy for and support each other.
In the fall, I would be a sophomore at a new high school in another city. I knew I didn’t have the gift to be an entertainer. It was time to plan for a career that would allow me to be self-sufficient and achieve financial stability. To achieve my goals, in spite of adversity or because of my adversity, I had to be one of the stronger links in the chain.