Archive for August, 2007

Mike Vick and the “Mistrust” of Black Atlanta

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Monday night espn.com posted a front page article–A History of Mistrust. It’s about Michael Vick, the city of Atlanta, and why many black Atlantans view the Mike Vick case as a racial indictment.

The staff at the Wren’s Nest got real excited about this. I wrote a lengthy blog post, Amelia and I had a shouting match about it, Nannie had to be restrained in her chair. It got ugly.

Anyway, it’s a great article, all about the history of Atlanta. And sometimes we at the Wren’s Nest fancy ourselves smack dab in the middle of that history, with a unique perspective to boot!

(Abernathy’s church is our next-door neighbor. That’s our tree!)

The article refers to the 1906 race riots, lynching reenactments, the Civil Rights movement, and the great racial divide in Atlanta today. Sounds like we’re not too far removed from Joel Chandler Harris’ Atlanta back in the day.

The article gets quite a bit right–the spoken geographic racial divide, the often unspoken (and oft-denied) fact that everything is about race, the greatness of Thumbs Up Diner.

As thorough as the article is, it isn’t perfect. The history of black and white in Atlanta is juxtaposed with the current black and white in Atlanta, when–the way I see it–this is more of a national issue. Had Barry Bonds played for the Braves, you better believe the press would have made this all about race in Atlanta.

(So who’s the lynch mob here? AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

While this issue in particular is indeed more national than local, Atlantans deal with (or ignore) smaller, similar racial issues like this one every day.

Look no further than the Wren’s Nest–we feel the racial divide in a profound way, and many outsiders I talk to often say “that side of town” the exact same way that some people whisper the word “black” when they’re talking about “black people.”

In fact, the Wren’s Nest (or West End) treatment isn’t so different from that of Michael Vick. Why doesn’t the Wren’s Nest see more visitation? In part because of–

1. The sketchy history of the organization.
2. The location in a predominantly African-American neighborhood.
3. Stereotypes heightened by excessive media coverage.

I guess a website before May 2007 would have helped our cause–but public perception has already been decided. The Wren’s Nest and West End can only continue to do positive things, and the change in image will follow. I’m not sure if Michael Vick will be so lucky.

P.S. Why did ESPN use the word “mistrust” and not “distrust”? I’m no etymological dictionary, but the different prefixes seem to imply different things, and the former seems to question black Atlanta’s judgment, instead of a statement of fact. I’m just sayin’.

An Ode to Decatur

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Hello friends. Apologies for my brief blogging hiatus; someone took a trip to the great city of Chicago and had to fight for computer time against a 17-year-old. I guess I just didn’t want it bad enough.

(And who’s going to fight for computer time when this is waiting outside?!)

Surprisingly, The Wren’s Nest did not collapse in my absence. In fact, everyone seems to be doing suspiciously well. I know it’s just a brave face, but I’m impressed nonetheless.

Now, while I love Chicago with a burning passion that seems unwilling to fade- and why should it?!- my current town of residence, Decatur, ain’t half bad either.

(I wish it really looked like this.)

Since I know you grouches accept nothing but hard evidence, I present the following: Decatur has been labeled as a hot spot for word nerds by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. A heaven, in fact. Looks like it’s time to go somewhere to celebrate (and not talk to each other while we read)!

Mentioned in the article are two very good friends of the Wren’s Nest, Little Shop of Stories and Wordsmith’s. To illustrate, I figure it’s time to let the cat out of the bag and expose the tangled Decatur web the Wren’s Nest weaves. Prepare to have your mind blown.

We’ll start with Wordsmith’s, where Lain was the first customer. Currently, the Wren’s Nest Publishing Co. editors have all of their picks, with an enticing sentence or two about their choice, on the shelves of Wordsmith’s. Neat, huh?

The Wren’s Nest Publishing Co.‘s magazine is being distributed by and for the Decatur Book Festival, which will be held over Labor Day Weekend. Co-founder of the festival, Tom, is one of the great minds behind The Duck and Herring Co., and has been working regularly with our editors as a voice of reason and experience, thank heavens.

Speaking of The Duck and Herring Co., another member of that braintrust is Terra, whose generously donated computer is currently 5 feet away from me (thanks Terra- the WNPCo. loves you for it!). Now, super sleuths, guess who manages the Little Shop of Stories? Terra! You’re right! 7 points for you.

(I stole this picture from Baby Got Books, who could have their own web sub-section entitled “People we’ve never met but are repeatedly linked to, and we like it”.)

I could go on -seriously- but I think you get the idea. We’re an incestuous bunch, no doubt, but with a heavenly playground like Decatur as the backdrop, why not keep it in the family?

Centennial Celebration

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Next year, 2008, is the centennial of Joel Chandler Harris’ death.

(Harris’ grave is in Westview Cemetery, beautiful and not far from the Wren’s Nest)

Here’s my responsibility–come up with something awesome to do.

Ideally a commemoration would be meaningful, fun, profitable, visible, and chock-full of celebrities.

Take, for example, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference celebrating its 50th anniversary held this weekend in Atlanta.

(photo courtesy of M.K. Harris, AJC)

They’re unveiling a new building, celebrating Civil Rights stuff around town, and drawing big-time politicos and celebrities, like Bill Clinton and Barak Obama (on his birthday, no less). That’s big time.

Here’s what I’ve come up with so far for the Wren’s Nest in 2008–_________.

Yikes.

100 year anniversaries don’t come around that often! It seems like such a tall order! And it’s not like we’re lacking tall orders around these here parts.

Here’s what we did for the 90 year celebration–

(That’s me alright, being cool …like I am.)

A humble dedication at Joel Chandler Harris’ grave.

I’m no expert, but I think our 100 year celebration should be nestled somewhere between our 90 year dedication and the huge event the SCLC has going on this weekend.

Bright ideas are greatly appreciated.

Wren’s Nest Critter T-Shirts Debut

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What are those, you ask? Well, our design team has come up with four T-Shirts, and we’re debuting a new one over each of the next four months.

EDIT 3:47 PM–As usual, I’ve spoken too soon. Looks like Brer Fox will be the first month, not Brer Rabbit, but the color will still be blue. I’ll post the right picture as soon as I get my hands on it. In the mean time, feel free to use your imagination!

Here’s the front color of the first shirt:

And here’s a close-up of the back:

Normally these go for $15, but if you read five (5) Brer Rabbit stories (by any author), you’re entitled to come to the Wren’s Nest and pick up your free T-Shirt.

Also, you can have the very first one if you’re the first to identify either of the two girls in this picture–

It’s easier than you think!