There wasn’t much to load in my backpack as a 1st grader. But I carried one anyway.
I’d usually haul a book or 2 that I borrowed from the school library, typical school supplies, and a toy I wasn’t supposed to bring.
As was big fan of the DC Justice League superheroes, so most often I’d bring along was my Superman action figure. Sometimes I’d bring Batman and Robin. On rarer occasions, all 3 of them.
My notebook of drawing paper got stuffed in there too. If you’re familiar with Charlie Brown and The Peanuts characters, my notebook and I could be likened to Linus and his security blanket.
I was always writing and drawing in that thing. My imagination didn’t have an off switch, so this provided me a place to contain my loose ideas.
Most times I would write stories about my classmates and literally draw them into it. I didn’t share these stories with them, though. Not at first.
Being an inner city child attending a private school was strike one. Being Black with a documented overactive imagination was strikes 2 and 3.
After my backpack was loaded, I’d grab a jacket if needed, make sure the pennies were straight in my brown leather loafers before putting them on, and head off to the corner of my yard to await the bus and the unwelcomed looks I’d get after boarding.
The Justice League didn’t have my back. They just rode on it. |THIS.
[By Mr. Joe Walker]
BLACK is a 9-chapter series that deals with race, social perspective, and inclusion. Each entry is based on real life events.
