Tuesday, February 14, 2006

 

Heritage

I just saw the movie Junebug, which reminded me of what a different world North Carolina is from San Francisco Bay--where I live now, or Washington state--where I lived for 46 years.

I'm glad the filmmaker chose to portray life as it is there without judgment or mockery, but with respect for differences. Because of that honesty, as well as some decent acting and an interesting story, I can recommend it without reservation.

To my knowledge, my mother was the first Mississippi O'Neal born out of the Deep South enclave of Irish clans that originally landed in South Carolina two and a half centuries ago, and unless one travels back to family reunions (which I haven't), it's easy to forget how distinct the different regions of the US are.

Coincidentally, I happened to be looking up the name John O'Neal a while back (our immigrant patriarch's name), and came across a renowned playwright in Jackson, Mississippi who had forty years ago run the cultural arm of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee. Unlike myself, though, he's black.

Reading about this remarkable man, I found myself wondering, "What must it be like to live in an area where everyone knows your family, and the evidence of a less than salubrious past looks you in the face every day?"

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