This Thing Of Ours

     Ossie, narrator of Frederick Joseph's This Thing Of Ours, has based his future on basketball. It has earned him a scholarship to an affluent private school. It would have been his ticket to one of the universities that are courting him and a way to carry on his father's legacy...

     ...except a game injury, a torn ACL, ends his basketball career. Six months months later he dreads returning to school. "But, Grandma, they're all just gonna see me and think There he goes--he had it all and lost it. They'll just see a failure."

     Ossie gets a new surge of enthusiasm when he gets accepted into a highly selective creative writing program run by a dedicated and innovative teacher. He learns that he's really good at and enjoys writing. Basketball is not all that defines him. He gains two close friends, Luis and Naima, who are two of the very few students of color in the predominantly white school. And he loves being immersed in the rich literature that reflects his cultural heritage. 

     Unfortunately Ossie has rich white  classmates with influential parents who do not appreciate diversity in their readings. 

     "Matthew sits upright again, clearly eager to enlighten us all. 'If Black people like James Baldwin spent less time complaining about white people, they could be picking themselves up by the bootstraps like the rest of us and actually become something.'"

     They're claiming reverse racism. Their parents are acting on their grievances. Suddenly the writing program and their teacher's career are in danger. 

     Although This Thing Of Ours is fiction, it's all too real world prophetic. Joseph sees the writing on the wall. With Trump and his minions going after every vestige of diversity, equity, and inclusion and the DeSantis crew striving to whitewash curriculum and ban baby ban we're going to have to fight tooth and nail to protect the hard won gains we've made and build on them. Complacency is a luxury we can't afford. 

On a purrrsonal note, today was most definitely wonderful. It was Maine Hello in Black Bear Nation--the day first year students arrive on campus and student volunteers carry their stuff to their rooms. My special role is parent whisperer. I talk to parents about how they're feeling. They really appreciate it. It's a very special day of welcoming and community building. Not even the rain could dampen spirits. 

Got any special plans for the Labor Day weekend? Eugene and I are headed for camp after our traditional Governor's breakfast. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in Maine Hello and Channel 5 News for their most excellent coverage. 

Jules Hathaway 

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