early age

the slave grew up in a very white part of Brooklyn. it had very little exposure to African American persons and maybe that is why certain images from the media always stayed with it. One of the earliest was from the 1968 Olympics. I remember watching it on TV and seeing those Black heroes raise their fists in salute. At the time I didn't understand the purpose of the salute, but the image told me everything. These were powerful Black Men.

it remembers early coverage of Martin Luther King and vividly recall the day He was assassinated. it recalls its parent stating he was a great man.

One of it's first Black Heroes was the athlete and film star Jim Brown. it went to see the film The Dirty Dozen when it was 7 years old and Jim brown was the man that mesmerized it on the big screen. Was it because the it had so little exposure to Black men or perhaps because even working in an ensemble group Jim Brown stood out as the most superior man in the group since He was the only Black Man.

A very distinct memory was watching Isaac Hayes perform the Theme From Shaft at The 1972 Oscar ceremony. He came out in His trademark chain mail vest and it remembers being riveted to the TV screen. Watching this handsome Black Man, with His muscular torso draped in chain, stirred something inside it that at such an early age, it did not recognize, desire.

Even at a young age its noticed Black Men. Was it because it had so little exposure to them in its every day life or because even back then, it somehow understood that these Men were superior in every way and should be noticed.