Even drug gangs revere Sunday mornings, and the crowns that many African-American women proudly wear to worship God. It's called the Sunday Truce. Here's a pertinent clip from the ground-breaking TV show, "The Wire":
A reader recalls a similar moment of trans-cultural respect:
It took place around 1984 in Washington DC. One beautiful Sunday was Gay Pride Day complete with its march. The parade kicked off from Meridian Hill Park in Adams Morgan. All the young gay men in the city collected up and down the street waiting for the parade to begin.
About 30 of us were standing in front of a church, which let out as we were waiting for the parade to begin. A single African-American matron walked out of the church, saw the crowd in the street, and ambled down to get a better look. She was a large grandmotherly woman, wearing a beautiful fuchsia dress and a huge hat matching the color of the dress. As she approached the curb, the men noticed her. The crowd fell quiet.
She peered into the street and saw all the young (mostly) white men, mostly in shorts and t-shirts - 1980s clones. The men stared back at her. Very slowly, a quiet applause could be heard rising from the ranks of the men.
As the applause continued, no words were spoken. No one laughed. It was really a sincere appreciation of her style. The woman must have realized what was going on. A small smile traced her mouth. She slowly turned and walked back into the church as the applause continued. The parade started to move, and the men walked off.
"We just know inside that we're queens. And these are the crowns we wear." Excerpt: Emma used to love her hats (this link takes you to some photos with her in hats). We love them too. She was so 'distinguished' in them. So, this book: Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats, looks... Weblog: Daddy, Papa and Me Tracked: Feb 7, 2007 4:47:45 PM
