A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg

Author:Shana Burg [Burg, Shana]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Tags: History, Fiction, General, Historical, Juvenile Fiction, Family, Siblings, United States, People & Places, 20th Century, Southern States, Mississippi, Civil rights movements, African Americans, African American, Race relations, Mississippi - History - 20th Century, Civil Rights Movements - Southern States - History - 20th Century
ISBN: 0385734700
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2008-06-10T00:00:00+00:00

He points to the purple writing at the bottom of the sign and reads:

P.S. Negroes invited to pick at noon.

“This garden’s supposed to be for everyone!” Mrs. Montgomery shouts.

“I hear you,” says the reverend.

“What you sayin’?” Brother Babcock asks.

“I’m saying sure our empty bellies can go growling for another thousand years. We always got by on less than nothing. However”—the reverend raises a finger in the air—“we can’t go hungering for our dignity one more day. We’re not gonna pick at noon to gather no scraps!”

And it’s clear that at long last the reverend’s finished thinking about the garden. He actually does have a plan.

“We’re going at the crack of dawn just like every other Kuckachookian,” he says.

“Praise the Lord!” yells Delilah.

I reckon she belongs in the amen corner! And dog my cats, suddenly she’s all about that picking. “I’ll do your eyes later,” she tells me.

Well, that’s fine with me. I don’t need any more color on my eyes. I’ve got all the color I need right in front of them. I’m seeing blue and red stars, I’m so angry about this garden.

“We need to do this for Emmett Till,” the reverend shouts. “And for Medgar Evers. For the four young girls murdered last month in Birmingham—Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Addie Mae Collins. And for Elias Pickett, our very own son, wherever he may be.”

I’ve thought of Emmett. I’ve thought of Medgar. I’ve thought about those four girls, one my age, one named Addie like me. And Lord knows I’ve thought about my brother. But to think of them all at the same time, Elias along with the dead, it’s just too much. Too much to bear!

I stumble away from the crowd to the edge of the lane. But the reverend’s words boom across the dirt straight to me: “There comes a time when a man’s dignity’s worth more than his life. Oh Lord, this is our time!”

I know the reverend’s right. We can’t just sit by and let them steal what’s ours. They’ve taken our land, they’ve chased my brother away, they’ve taken too many lives. And even if I get beaten or put in jail, it doesn’t matter. I’m ready to fight.

Reverend Walker charges down the lane. Most of the men follow. As usual, they’re going to sort things out without us ladies and children, so Delilah and me hurry on over to my porch to sit beside our mamas. No doubt they’re fretful as we are, and I reckon we could all lean on each other after what we’ve just heard. But soon as I settle on the step, I’m sorry I’m there. That’s because Mama and Mrs. Montgomery, they’re shaking their tails at each other about whether we should go to the picking or not.

Mama says, “There’s no way for us to show up for the picking at sunrise without infuriating the white folk. If we do that, we may as well shoot ourselfs ’cause that’s what happens when you make white folk think twice before they even thunk once.

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