I met with the GM of the local NBC affiliate yesterday. We had a very good meeting. The future holds great promise.
When I left this area almost 40 years ago, I never imagined that I would return with such a feeling of belonging. Have they changed or have I? Probably a little bit of both. I'll give a complete report upon my return home next week.
Regular readers know that I come from a race of mysterious people in southwest Louisiana called Redbones. One of my family lines is Melungeon. That's a whole 'nother can of worms.
Whoo, Whoo!
For the record: I am here in Natchitoches, Louisiana to address the Redbone Heritage Foundation. I'd link it, but I'm working under duress at the moment, so look it up yourself. I'd promise to come back and add the links, but I never do, so why bullshit? Eh? The Redbone Heritage Foundation (RHF) is the brainchild of my friend, Don Marler. He has devoted a lifetime to researching and writing about Louisiana's Redbones. Google him, too. They got off to a rocky start last year for several reasons.
This year they invited me to speak to them about whatever I thought was important. That's hard to sum up in less than an hour. Loving a challenge, I accepted. So here I am.
But wait, there's more to the story. No, it's too confusing. I can't even start here. Maybe if I try very hard I can summarize it somewhat. Here's my effort. Okay, first of all, not everyone likes each other. Everyone thinks everyone else has either (1) an agenda, or (2) a psychological disorder. I'm not sure they're not all right. So far, I'm the only one I'm sure is sane. There are at least three distinct groups, although I'm not entirely happy with the word "group." It's more like a random association of strangers who agreed to bond only to do war with another random group.
I had dinner with Group 1 of the Redbone wars. Group 1 is Stacy, Gabe, Don. Don's wife Sybil was with us as well, and although she has a good mind and a strong opinion, she's not really one of the players in the group.
Tomorrow Group 2 arrives. That would be my cousins Linda, Brenda, Terry, and Jim. Kim may also be here, but it's not certain. Another cousin, Lucille, may come, but the odds are long. Although we are as an opinionated a bunch that ever came along the pike, we are not here with an agenda. That I'm aware of.
Group 3 is not here. That would be Larry and LV. They're also cousins. LV is closer in both kinship lines and cultural experience. Larry's an interesting person. I won't meet him this week-end, and that's too bad. It's hard to tell the crazy ones from the normal ones if they won't stand next to each other for you to study their twitches. So to speak.
I am going to have so much fun this week-end. They all think I'm as crazy as a loon, so we all begin on equal footing.
If no one hears from me in the next several days, notify the authorities.
I got into a bitch fight today with an asshole. Go read the exchange here.
Last year I became so annoyed with a bunch of people, many of them kinfolk, down in Louisiana and Texas, I lost interest in writing about my memories of growing up in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana. Up until then I had found great joy in remembering our unique little area of the world and the powerful sense of kinship by which I was blessed while growing up. I didn't miss my project right away, but after a year or so, I realized those stories were not complete. I had more to say.
I decided I needed to make peace if not nice with the collective group, so I started communicating with individuals in the group. It worked. The mental block that kept my writing quiet dissipated. As a result, I've been writing on my other blog, My Mother's People for the past couple of weeks, as well as engaging in long and detailed exchanges of email between several cousins and others interested in the history of Louisiana's Redbones, my mother's people.
I invite you over to check out that other part of me.
I'm back. Vegas was incredible. I'm still aglow from the experience. Hope to talk about it in the next day or so. Meanwhile, if you want to see a few pictures, check it out.
I've been talking my Redbone shit over at Colored, Outside the Lines. Sorry if that sounds disrespectful. I just am who I am. I'm not running for class president. I mention it here because I made a decision that if I were to have a discussion about anything with anyone, it would be from this aspect of my personality. On my other blogsite, Colored, Outside the Lines, they only get the sanitized version of me. I think I'm a lot more interesting "au natural" so to speak.
It's the sentiment that counts. Happy Valentine's Day. Probably my least favorite holiday. Doesn't mean that I don't wish you well.
I received a letter from the president and founder of the Redbone Heritage Foundation berating me for demeaning her organization. However, she graciously, if belatedly, invited me to attend her organization's gathering in June. She didn't invite me to participate, just attend. It is assumed that by attending I will have contributed. That's how I read it anyway.
I have responded.
Today I discovered that a bunch of my distantly related cousins have been dissin' me. Que pasa? What? Y'all know I'm not White, right? I know I've mentioned it again, and again. You read my previous post? right?
I just posted a rant over at Colored, Outside the Lines. There goes my "Miss Congeniality" title.
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