[Oe List ...] Being Black in the Order Ecumenical

[Jack Gilles]

Herman,

A couple of personal stories.  In 1968 (I believe) the Cleveland Metro organized a Black Heritage course and Harrison Sims arrived as one of the pedagogues.  I forgot who the second one was, but he was white.  A group of black power people came to the course, determined to disrupt it and get it canceled.  We had close to 100 participants.  I believe it was in the opening conversation when one of the men stood up and walked out, very slowly and deliberately.  A few seconds later, another.  Then over the next 2-3 minutes about another half dozen or so did likewise.  It was their assumption that others would follow, leaving us with just a few participants and an obvious failure.  But no one else left and so after a while the group came back in.  They demanded all white people get out (there were just a few metro colleagues there) so we did.  Harrison was cool and collected and continued on with the course.  I had to leave, but I remember how scared I was and how proud I was of Harrison.  The course got great reviews from almost all who attended.

A second story.

My greatest learning and teaching experience happened when I taught with Carlos Ollison.  I was part of the national LENS faculty in the mid-70's and was working at BF Goodrich.  On Wednesday, when the assignments post worked out the faculties for each weekend event I got a call (I think from Robert Porter) assigning me to a LENS to be taught at the maximum security prison near Richmond Virginia.  Seems the chaplain was an RS I grad and a colleague and had set it up.  When I heard what I was to teach and where, I just died inside and said "I'm not sure I can get Friday off" (a lie).  A Thursday call came and they said I could arrive on Saturday, no problem.  Now I was faced with a moral dilemma, follow my fears and not accept it, or say yes and die!  Along with Carlos and Georgeanna McBurney was a woman from the Indianapolis House (forgot her name) who was a professional corrections officer.  Carlos started the sessions with a conversation; "Name, Where from, and why are you here"?  Around the table we went, "Murder", "Bank Robbery", "Forgery", "Manslaughter, etc. were the answers.  Now I was really dying inside.  Since LENS is about a group creating a vision for the future and this group had no future, I wanted to just get the hell out of there before something happened!

Carlos was just fantastic!  He received every answer and then set a context for the 44 hour session.  Armed guards were descreetly placed around the edges of the room.  We sang, created a vision (this was before the revised LENS), Team 14 Points, and several other documents.  We did the Social Process lectures as well as all the conversations.  And we sang!  At first they were terrible at it, off key and reluctant.  But Carlos just boomed it out and soon they did too.  By the time we ended I swear I would have put my life in the hands of some of them!  What a transformation.  Nobody was talking about why they were there, no judgements, just a future to be called forth, which they indeed cared about, even though they were in prison for years to come.  At the end Carlos asked them to pick the song they would like to sing to close with.  They picked "The Impossible Dream".  It was as if grace had filled the room.  The voices were firm, on tune and soaring. 

Afterwards the assistant warden came up shaking his head.  All he could say was "I don't believe it, I don't believe it, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes"!  "These men could never say what they did!"  He was profoundly moved.  

Afterward:

A week later I got a letter in the mail from one of the participants.  I still have it.  In part he wrote:  "I got back to the cell and I was so sad to see all of you (the four of us) leave.  I was sitting there, listening to the radio, when they played The Impossible Dream.   I kept asking myself; "Who are these people, and why did they come?"  The only answer I could come up with was; "They came because they care".  

And to think I almost refused the invitation that would change my life forever.  Wow!  Thank you Carlos, and all the others who opened my eyes (and heart).

Grace & Peace,

Jack
On Jun 3, 2012, at 2:00 PM, Herman Greene wrote:

> It just struck me that no one has mentioned Harrison Sims (or did I miss him?).
>  
> Herman
>  
> From: oe-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of LAURELCG at aol.com
> Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2012 2:55 PM
> To: oe at lists.wedgeblade.net
> Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Being Black in the Order Ecumenical
>  
> Your mention of the Atlanta House reminded me of Ruth Gilbert, who was there with her grandson Dante during the summer '86 Imaginal Education course at Spelman College and Order youth program. I think of her often. Hope I have the name right, a second Ruth Gilbert.
>  
> Jann McGuire
>  
> In a message dated 6/3/2012 11:10:01 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, dm14 at txstate.edu writes:
> Realize I left Marcella off the list I sent earlier—She was a force of beauty, strength, and humor in the Atlanta House in 74 or so. Went to Nairobi after that and returned to live in D.C. Is married and has beautiful daughters.--Diann McCabe
> _______________________________________________
> OE mailing list
> OE at lists.wedgeblade.net
> http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net

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