What Buckhannon Really Needs... Is Love

By: Jessica Williams

Having grown up in Buckhannon, I’d be hard-pressed to describe for you a more boring town. Nothing much to do, aside from driving from one end of Rt. 20 to the other, stopping at Walmart to walk around a bit. Often, a few of my friends, two other girls of color, and I would dream about leaving town, and West Virginia altogether. Spoiler alert: this “dream” did not come to fruition for me. Instead, I stayed in the town where I was born, raised, and grossly misunderstood. 

Buckhannon prides itself in doing for others, taking care of others. Many times, though, I’ve learned that this love for others is conditional on whether the two people in any situation look the same. I can recall with great accuracy many times in which I was made to feel less than because of the color of my skin: a Confederate flag drawing in my locker in the seventh grade, being followed around a clothing store for fear I was stealing, a woman clutching her purse tightly as I walked by in the grocery store. A slew of occurrences such as these, and many even worse, eventually made me want to stay home. Why go into public and put myself at the mercy of people who can treat me in such a way? 

Until recently, I didn’t see much wrong with this solution. When I’m home, I’m safe. Not any kind of life for anyone though, but especially not for my son, Theodore. Oh, he’s the sweetest! Always making sure his grandmothers and I are okay, offering a helping hand, and so adventurous! A few days ago, he experienced racial harassment so disgusting and despicable that I’ve had no choice but to find my voice and begin to speak out more. What happened will stick with him forever; it’ll always play in his mind, much like my memories. But I also want him to remember that his mother fought to make things better, so that we no longer feel the need to hide out in our own home.

We all have the opportunity to fix what has been broken for so long. I think the first step is empathy. Put yourselves into the shoes of others. Would you want to be treated in the way you’ve treated someone else? Also, let’s confront our implicit biases. We've all got them. Let's learn to recognize them and work against them. Lastly, for now, let’s have conversations. Let's call each other out on injustices of any kind, any magnitude. We can change the hate and make a brighter future for our children. One where they’re working together, embracing differences, and finally taking care of each other in the way Buckhannon natives strive to.

May I leave you with a favorite song lyric? From The Great Showman’s This is Me:

But I won’t let them break me down to dust

I know that there’s a place for us

For we glorious

When the sharpest words wanna cut me down

I’m gonna send a flood, gonna drown ‘em out

I am brave, I am bruised

I am who I’m meant to be, this is me.

The colors of our skin won’t change, but our mindsets can. We’ve got to commit to the hard work, but that payoff is going to be worth it. 

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