Memphis Matters: Peabody Elementary (Part 2)

An hour later, the improv show was over and people began to get up out of their seats. The couple who had shared their Peabody story came up to Robert and I and thanked me for sharing. They were excited to hear about the Parents Network and asked me about a few families in the neighborhood who they thought would be interested in it. I already knew these names and knew that one had actually said their child would be attending Kindergarten next fall with Adam.

Then another woman walked up and said, "You're living my life! Or what was my life 20 years ago." I said, "Well, please enlighten me about your life!" She said, "20 years ago, no one I knew was sending their child to our neighborhood school, Snowden. We decided it was the only option we were comfortable with and sent our first child to Kindergarten. More and more families in Evergreen began sending their kids to Snowden and we had a good principal who became a great principal because she really listened to the parents. My 3 children attended Snowden through 8th grade and then graduated from Central High. They are phenomenal, well-rounded adults and all had excellent college opportunities. Their friends who attended private schools were at most times doing the same homework projects my kids were doing, and most times using the same textbooks. But what my kids learned from being in school with diverse classmates, both culturally and socio-economically was part of an education you can't pay for." We continued talking about our experiences and soon enough said our goodbyes.

As Robert and I were walking out the doors, another woman ran up to us and said "You rock!" We kind of laughed and said, "What?" She said, "I have 5 kids. Ten years ago when my daughter was starting school, we lived in Cooper Young. We went to Peabody to meet with the principal and my daughter went to the bathroom. She came back crying, saying that someone had been mean to her in the bathroom. Then she asked us, 'why is no one else white?' We left Peabody that day, quietly packed up our house and cowardly moved to Bartlett. I'm proud of what you are doing today and wish that I had the courage to do that ten years ago. I hope people follow in this movement. Best of luck to you!"

To say that this evening had been a strange, surreal experience would be an understatement. But it affirmed to me that Peabody Matters. Memphis Matters. Here's praying...