As I think of Ferguson, Mo. I recall an opportunity I had and I dang sure took it and to think how it could escalate today tells me just how backwards we have gone.
I had recently gotten a divorce and some girls and me went to a small club in a little town called Austell, Ga. Austell is in Cobb county. Cobb County is not known for it's appreciation for culture for the most part and very tea party and racist today. It was racist then as well. Folks in west Ga like to think they have sophistication but the Big Chicken on US 41 does not make for much sophistication. Look up the Big Chicken. It is a landmark and marks the spot for Kentucky Fried Chicken. Cobb County is also Newt territory. Austell is south of Marietta and US 41 and this little club was very small and there was an entertainer who was booked at this club.
If I recall there was no cover charge and the entertainer had a relative small stage to perform yet the room was packed. I do not think there was a black person in the whole crowd. You see, we had not come too far from the civil rights era and not too many people were crossing tracks in either direction, even for a performer named Ernest Evans, better known as Chubby Checker. I recall taking a seat with my friends at a table up front to see the most energetic performer I had seen since I saw Elvis at the Omni in 73. I ordered a coke as I am not a drinker and was having a great time.
Chubby Checker worked his way into the small room and asked someone to do the twist with him. It was like dead silence. I looked around the room and did not see the first person offer to get up on stage. At first I thought, well what a shy bunch we have here.
It struck me that maybe it was because they loved the twist but Chubby WAS " God Forbid" Black.
I did not hesitate. I hopped up on stage so fast one would think I was the next performing act. Ernest, the great gentleman and performer he was, held out his hand and helped me right up on that stage. They started the music and here I was dancing with a black man. As I twisted back and forth all the way down to the floor with Chubby, we did an encore with Let's Twist Again. The crowd was sitting there for a spell and then my friends were clapping and pretty soon the room was clapping along with our dancing. After we finished the dancing, Ernest bowed to me and announced If he was King of the Twist, I was the Queen.. ( LOL). He bowed, and I bowed. He kissed me on the cheek as I thank him and I jumped off the stage and enjoyed the rest of the performance. Now who could turn down doing the twist with Chubby Checker?
There is no person alive today who could say , " You can't twist".. I always have the comeback, " Are you kidding me, I did the twist with Chubby Checker".
2008 I was phonebanking for Organizing for Obama when I was teamed with a young man with the last name Evans and I found out he was Chubby's son. We stayed in contact via email for a long long time. He reminded his Dad about us Twisting in Austell, Ga. I thank his son for that as I was honored.
I am beginning to think Chubby and me need to make a trip to Ferguson and do a little dancing... I bet we accomplish more in race relations than the National Guard.
What I am saying is more white people should stand behind and beside the black protestors of Ferguson. We should be further along with this horrid thing called racism ..Further than 1975 ..Rural Ga.