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• How I Learned to Forgive - Part 7

  Published: July 31, 2007, 3:43 am

  Tags: Lessons Learned, Forgive

  At meetings like this my mom generally made me wear my Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes, usually a plaid flannel shirt, corduroys and today, a pair of new black Converse sneakers. A picture of Jesus walking on the water hung over my right shoulder. Did these people expect me to be as perfect as him, I wondered?

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• How I Learned to Forgive - Part 6

  Published: July 30, 2007, 3:40 am

  Tags: Lessons Learned, Forgive

  Before I knew it, there were teachers’ and PTA meetings being called to discuss what had happened to JJ, and what my role was in the whole affair. My parents, the principal, the superintendent, and all sorts of other people got interested in the playground happening between JJ and me. It could have been fun to get so much attention but no

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• How I Learned to Forgive - Part 5

  Published: July 29, 2007, 3:37 am

  Tags: Lessons Learned, Forgive

  Later that same year, Jackie J -- JJ, I called her -- some other kids and I were playing ‘It’ in the parking lot behind the school. “It” is played just like tag. The last person tagged was called ‘It’ and then they had to do the chasing. JJ was pretty, with big teeth and a smile that

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• How I Learned to Forgive - Part 4

  Published: July 28, 2007, 3:36 am

  Tags: Lessons Learned, Forgive

  Cleo Junior’s father was a barber on the east side of Cincy. It was Cincy’s bad side was the rumor that went around school. But no one clearly said why. The perpetrator had gone into Cleo Sr.’s barber shop and shot Cleo Sr. for no reason that could be spelled out on the radio. The east side was also where the black people lived,

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• How I Learned to Forgive - Part 3

  Published: July 27, 2007, 3:35 am

  Tags: Lessons Learned, Forgive

  “It’s 7:25am and here is some news from Cincinnati’s East Side. Cleopus Jenkins, Sr. was shot to death while working in his shop yesterday evening,” the WKRC radio announcer said. My brothers and sisters and a few classmates were in the school van on the way to school. It was my mother’s turn

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• How I Learned to Forgive - Part 2

  Published: July 26, 2007, 3:33 am

  Tags: Lessons Learned, Forgive

  The Vietnam conflict was quickly escalating into a war at the time as well. Two years after the assassination, American troops were sent to Vietnam. I vaguely remember seeing this on the news between cartoon watching on Saturday mornings. “We interrupt this program for a special announcement…”     By the time I

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• How I Learned to Forgive - Part 8

  Published: August 1, 2007, 3:07 am

  Tags: Lessons Learned, Forgive

  My parents asked, “Do you know what’s going on, Billy?”      “Nope,” I answered honestly.      “They think you hurt JJ on purpose,” Mom said. “They think you hurt her because she is black.”       I didn’t understand.

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• How I Learned to Forgive - Part 15

  Published: August 1, 2007, 8:13 pm

  Tags: Lessons Learned, Forgive

  JJ was to my right and I could almost reach out and touch her if I leaned forward and pretended to drop something. But I knew better than to try. Besides, I had nothing to drop. Voices went high and low, loud and soft, and more words were thrown around that I had to look up later – expulsion, suspension, and law suits. I slid back and forth

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• How I Learned to Forgive - Part 1

  Published: July 25, 2007, 3:31 am

  Tags: Lessons Learned, Forgive

  “The President’s been killed,” was being whispered from one kid to the next. It was like a game of telephone and I wondered if the news was being exaggerated.      It wasn’t.      On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was killed and I learned a new word –

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• How I Learned to Forgive - Part 9

  Published: August 2, 2007, 3:08 am

  Tags: Lessons Learned, Forgive

  “No, Cleo is one of his best friends. Cleo’s been to our house to spend the night several times,” my mom retorted. “Cleo Jr. used to come to the house even before his father was killed.”     I returned to sitting upright.     “You all are racist!”     This

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• How I Learned to Forgive - Part 10

  Published: August 3, 2007, 3:09 am

  Tags: Lessons Learned, Forgive

  The teachers, principal, and others in the room watched the verbal tennis match with interest. JJ’s side forehanded an attack and my father lobbed it back. Her grandparents returned that with a vicious backhand and once again my father or mother would be at the net to return the volley instantly. Nobody could win because on one side minds

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• How I Learned to Forgive - Part 6

  Published: July 30, 2007, 4:38 pm

  Tags: How I Learned To Forgive, Forgive

  Suddenly, everybody was chasing me, yelling and screaming.      “Belew!! What’d you do that for?”      “Belew!! What’s wrong with you?!”       I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I didn’t know what it was I had done, if

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• How I Learned to Forgive - Part 8

  Published: August 1, 2007, 3:43 am

  Tags: How I Learned To Forgive, Forgive

  At meetings like this my mom generally made me wear my Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes, usually a plaid flannel shirt, corduroys and today, a pair of new black Converse sneakers. A picture of Jesus walking on the water hung over my right shoulder. Did these people expect me to be as perfect as him, I wondered?

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• How I Learned to Forgive - Part 12

  Published: August 5, 2007, 3:10 am

  Tags: How I Learned To Forgive, Forgive

  “Billy! What were you thinking?” went into one ear.    “Uh, I ...” started to reply as I sat up one more time.     My feeble reply was interrupted by, “Billy! Why do you hate blacks?”      “Uh, I didn’t know she…”

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• How I Learned to Forgive - Part 13

  Published: August 6, 2007, 3:11 am

  Tags: How I Learned To Forgive, Forgive

  Teachers didn’t use that word in our school. Ours was a Christian school and that slip wasn’t permissible. There was a very long pause, long enough for the teacher to realize she had said something wrong and everyone in the room knew it. And for a few moments everyone’s eyes were off me. I took the opportunity

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