The Watsons Go to Birmingham Page #7

Sound like it was over in Smithfield.

I hope the Shores are all right.

The Shores?

Yes, baby.

He's a lawyer.

And the white folks are mad about all the

work he's been doing in the courts...

to get them five colored

children into the white schools.

Is that near our house?

It's not too close.

Don't worry now.

Oh, so much been going on

this year, we've been lucky.

Pray that wherever that explosion

was, though, nobody got hurt.

Okay, Momma, can we please

change the subject?

We don't need to be talking about these

things in front of the children.

Well, you can't protect them from it.

They live in it, too.

That's why it took me so

long to come back down here.

But you're here now.

By 11:
30, there are more than

200,000 filling the Mall...

a crowd that is bigger than the

most optimistic forecasts.

This is amazing. Look at all

those people out there.

It's so wonderful to see all of these

young people, I mean, this entire year.

Stand up and demand something

more for themselves.

I am so proud.

I think it's wonderful, too.

I just worry for their safety.

Especially for the

younger children.

I wouldn't want my babies

out there marching.

Now you can't stop young folk once

they get an idea in they head.

Especially when they know

they on the side of right.

I think it's cool Junior,

Sarah and them marched.

I would have gone out there.

Anywhere trouble is, is where

you want to be, Byron.

What about you, Kenny?

You think you would

have wanted to protest?

Mm, mm, all of them people talking about

making the country better for us.

Ah, it just reminds me

how far I have come.

Y'all have no idea how

lucky you all are.

When I was growing

up in the country...

we had to be up in the dark of

morning before the sun come up...

to start plowing the dirt to

plant the crops we was growing.

My Daddy was so poor, we

ain't even had a mule.

I was the mule.

Oh, Momma...

Well, it's true.

Your momma don't know nothing about no hard

work, either, growing up here in Birmingham.

Mm, it was hard in them days.

And now, seeing all the changes everybody's

trying to make so that we can all live better.

Mm, it's a beautiful thing.

I tried to picture Grandma

Sands with a plow on her back.

And I'll I could think was, if this woman

was so strong, what's wrong with me?

Instead of feeling proud,

I just felt scared.

You're not going to Sunday School?

I'm going to church with Momma

instead of Sunday School.

I'mma walk Joey over there and come

back and change before church.

Oh, so you a big boy now.

I don't know what a

shoulder shrug means.

I guess so.

Come here.

I know y'all getting

ready to leave.

I want you to know I'm really

gonna miss you, Kenny.

I have enjoyed our visit.

Maybe next time, I'll come visit

you, up there in Michigan.

Grandma, what was it that you said was

in the water at Collier's Landing?

What, the whirlpool?

Yeah.

Oh, yes, the whirlpool.

You gotta stay away from that.

I'm all set, Grandma Sands.

Well, not quite.

I got you a little something for

your special day at our church.

Heels?

I love them!

Thank you, Grandma Sands!

Oh, you're welcome, sweetie!

I never understood why girls

got so excited over shoes.

But I had to admit, those

heels made Joey shine.

Let's see.

Oh, you look good, Joey.

All right now, but come here,

let me fix that slip, it's hanging.

All right, okay! Y'all better

get going so you won't be late.

I'd like some sugar!

- Go!

- Bye!

Bye!

- Hey, Joey!

- Huh?

You look really pretty.

And I'm sure you're gonna do good in the

choir helping with the service today.

Thanks, Kenny.

As Joey caught up

with her friends...

I couldn't help but think

that the three of them...

made up the red, white and

blue of the American flag.

Can you last one more night?

Just one more.

Can you believe I'm ready

to get back to Flint, too?

Really?

Why do you think I left

here in the first place?

I couldn't take that "colored water

fountain, back-of-the-bus way of living".

I didn't want my children

to grow up like that.

What about Grandma?

She didn't want to leave.

She's always said, this is her home

and no one is gonna drive her out.

She's... stronger

than I am, I guess.

I don't like it here, either.

But you had fun with Grandma Sands

and Joetta made some good friends.

- Hey, hey!

- Dad?

Daniel, what are you doing here?

I didn't think you'd be

back until tonight.

I missed you guys,

so I left early...

put the pedal to the metal and

got here as soon as I could.

Great, so, can we leave tonight?

Tonight? After 15 hours straight?

I need some rest first.

Okay, can we leave

tomorrow morning?

You are really ready

to go home, huh?

I think we all miss our

little igloo back home.

Not you, too.

Even me.

Now that Dad was back,

everything felt right.

I was actually looking forward

to Joey's church service.

Kenny, you all right? Where's

your brother, where's Byron?

What? That sounded close!

Wilona! Robert! The baby!

Oh, no, no, no. You stay here with

your brother. You watch Kenny.

By? By! By!

By, where are you?

By, what happened?

Someone called and said

somebody bombed Joey's church!

By! By, wait!

By!

Joey!

Kenny! Where'd you go!

How'd you get back here so fast?

Where are Mom and Dad?

Joey?

You look so beautiful.

So beautiful.

What? Where's Momma and Daddy?

Such a beautiful angel.

I'm no angel... I'm a girl.

What's wrong with you, Kenny?

Beautiful girl, angel.

I knew you would be.

Kenny, please, stop playing!

We need to do something!

I'm sorry, Joey...

I just couldn't.

It almost got me.

It got you, too!

Stop acting crazy!

We have to go find everyone!

They may be looking for us!

I can't go back out there.

It might get me.

What, Kenny?

What might get you?

The Wooh Pooh.

The Wooh Pooh?

What are you talking about?

It was there, I saw it,

as big as the sky.

It was an explosion, no Wooh Pooh!

I'm sorry, Joey. I just...

I just couldn't do it.

Kenny, you're scaring me.

You and I both know that

bomb went off at the church.

Mommy and Daddy are

probably looking for us.

We have to go find them. Now!

It was the Wooh Pooh.

I told you he was real.

- Joey!

- Joey!

Joetta, are you all right?

I'm fine, but I think something

is wrong with Kenny.

After the church bombing, we couldn't

get out of Birmingham fast enough.

Grandma Sands and Mr. Robert

refused to come with us.

They said Birmingham was their home.

It was an issue of principle, they said.

Grandma Sands called a couple of times and

said the police didn't know who did it.

But everyone else had an idea

about who was responsible.

That bomb killed

four little girls...

blinded a couple more and sent a bunch

of other people to the hospital.

I couldn't stop wondering about that little

girl who's shoes I saw in the rubble.

I sure hope Kenny knows

how proud we are of him.

He's such a good boy,

and I love him so much.

He is such a brave boy.

Hey, check this out, Jack.

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