You may have seen on this blog a time or two that I watched the mini series Little Fires Everywhere. I remain fascinated by it. Brene Brown, a sociologist whose research I also find fascinating, recorded two podcasts about the show and the novel it was based on. I downloaded and listened to them right away.
In one episode, Brown interviewed the book’s author. The second featured Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, the lead actors in the Hulu series. During both, the insightful host introduced an interesting concept – your hometown as a character in your story. The author set the book in her own hometown, Shaker Heights, Ohio. This picturesque hamlet is one of the first planned communities in the United States. Designers thought themselves very progressive by voluntarily integrating before most of the rest of the country. At that time, racial unrest and violence had already occured. This dark past was pushed under a rug as financing became available for black residents to move into white neighborhoods and vice versa. Buses carried white students to black schools and black students to white schools.
The self-satisfied occupants of Shaker Heights claimed to be color blind and ignored differences and previous history in favor of looking the part of an equality based utopia. Because of this, the Shaker Heights community still struggles with the same issues of race and class we see in the rest of the nation. It strives to maintain the picturesque facade with rules. The lawns can be only 2 inches, and house paint color is regulated. In the movie, Mia’s rent house displays the importance of appearance. The duplex, from the outside, looks like a single family residence. But physically and metaphorically, slapping a coat of paint on something without fixing the foundation makes for a problematic existence.
I realize that my family of origin, other people I surrounded myself with and many other factors helped mold my morals, beliefs and overall worldview. But I decided to take a look at my own hometown and try to analyze how it might contribute.
I was born in Waco, Texas (which refers to itself as the Heart of Texas) in 1973. Waco occupies space about halfway between Dallas and Austin. I could get to either one in about 90 minutes by car. So even though the population measured just a little over 100,000 in the town proper, big city attractions sat in easy reach. Now, years later, Waco is it’s own attraction thanks to the rise of the Gaines family and Fixer Upper.
The name Waco comes from the Hueco Indians, an arm of the Wichita. They occupied a village there until white settlers drove them out. In 1912, a prominent citizen brought back a group of the Hueco to participate in an exhibition of the city’s annual Texas Cotton Palace Exposition and Fair. (The Cotton Palace Pageant still exists today.) Event planners fabricated a village of teepees for them to live in, taught them war dances to perform and dressed them in a strange conglomeration of modern and native clothing. In 2014, over 100 years later, city leaders and historians invited tribal leaders back to work on restoring connections and developing better relationships.
With these racially nefarious underpinnings, I wanted to research Waco’s historical relationship with black Americans. In 1916, a black teen confessed to murdering a white woman and was tortured, mutilated and burned to death. In what is now called the “Waco Horror”, 15,000 spectators watched including police and the mayor. Officials made strides toward repentance 100 years later by finally publicly condemning the lynching.
In spite of these things, people of different colors lived harmoniously all around me. The north side of town (my neighborhood) was a former air force base. The military originally established the school I attended for air force families and was, therefore, integrated many years before other schools in the area. And until 1990, Waco was home to Paul Quinn College, the oldest Historically Black College west of the Mississippi.
Waco is also home to Baylor University – the oldest and largest Baptist school in the United States. It’s nickname? Jerusalem on the Brazos. And churches of different denominations line the streets there. It’s no surprise that my Christian doctrine leans toward the conservative.
I could explore much more here. From the serious – this mostly middle class area did not prepare me for the challenges of living in a more affluent area with a more affluent mindset. To the silly – Dr. Pepper was born there. I worked at it’s museum and love the sweet beverage still. It’s all more than you would care to read. But my introspection begs me to ask if you’ve ever considered your hometown as a character in your story.
Can you think of one characteristic of your hometown that may have shaped who you are or something you believe? I would love to hear about it in the comments. Please. I’m bored here in quarantine. 😉
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Our hometown truly shaped us due to its unique beauty, climate, and wealth. Our folks didn’t know it was a wealthy place “on the hill” until after we moved there. We didn’t fit the mold – five kids on an engineer’s salary (no maid, no debutantes or cotillions) but our education was fabulous and we loved it. No integration at all at the time 1955 – when I went away to college. So yes I was shaped by isolation and privilege but always felt a little less-than until I grew up enough to realize people are just people needing Jesus. At that time, there was no evangelical church on the hill, so we worshipped in Torrance in a little Baptist church. (Palos Verdes Estates is the town – a peninsula 30 minutes from anywhere and an hour from the Music Center in dt LA – we only went there in LA while growing up) Oh, and an hour from Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm (:
So interesting, Sue.
I started watching Little Fires but I couldn’t get into it. Maybe I need to try again. Love Brene Brown! I grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago which was very white. I think not having diversity around me has kept me from forming more relationships with POC. Looking to change that!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
That is great insight from your upbringing, Katherine. Little Fires may not be for everyone. Or maybe if you didn’t like the show, try reading the book?
What a lovely surprise Lauren to have been featured here today! I’m so glad you found encouragement through sharing my journey with the Lord 😀
Bless you,
Jennifer
It was my privilege to feature you, Jennifer. I always get something I needed from your writing.
Hi, Lauren!
What a lovely post! First, I want to say that I enjoy Brene Brown’s research as well, but I had NO idea that she has a podcast. I will have to check that out! To answer the question that you posed in your post, I have to say that the thing that shaped me the most about the little hometown that I am from is that it’s smallness was an immediate invitation for community. It was one of the towns where everyone knows the entire graduating class, and I really enjoyed cultivating relationships in such a tiny town.
I really enjoyed your post! Beautiful writing!
I just recently found Brown’s podcast myself! And she just released one with activist Austin Channing Brown. It is not to be missed! There are a lot of great things about growing up in a small town. Thank you for joining me this week, Baylee. And for your encouragement as well.
This is such a great post, Lauren! I believe that our hometowns absolutely influence many of our ethics and values as we learn those things from the people in our communities. I think when we leave those first communities that raised us, it is then our job to reevaluate what we learned and make sure that it still adequately applies to us later in life. I grew up in a very small town in Pennsylvania with a population of less than 8,000. It was about 98% white. And I remember vividly when the first black family moved into our neighbor in the early 1980’s. The adults in the neighborhood actually had town meetings about how they were going to handle this matter. Yikes! Thankfully I left there in my teen years and learned much more diversity quickly before permanent damage was done. Thanks for sharing this insightful post and linking up with me.
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
Shelbee, it is obvious you learned about acceptance and the beauty of diversity! It is interesting to ponder our roots and our wings isn’t it? And you right. When we do we can decide for ourselves if the values and beliefs we grew up with hold water or will eventually sink us!
Interesting post and I’m going to check out the mini-series!
I highly recommend it. Just be prepared for some language.
I love this post. I lived in Waco (Hewitt!) from the late 70s through mid 80s. It has changed and grown a lot since then!
It definitely has, Tanya. I was there then too, but on the north side of town.
I haven’t seen the show but it’s sounds fascinating.
It is, Carol. I highly recommend, but be prepared for some bad language.
I watched the show and read the book. The racial differences between the two main characters was not in the book but taking creative license in this manner does shed light on both sides. This link sums up ten differences between the book and the movie – https://screenrant.com/little-fires-everywhere-differences-between-book-and-series/
What is my hometown? I don’t know. I grew up in the Bahamas and came to NY when I was 12. I have warm memories of our block in Brooklyn because everyone knew each other. Summertime was the best – it was hot and most folks didn’t have ca so as kids we stayed outside on the stoop late into the night just hanging out. We were all good kids and to my recollection, all of us have done well.
That’s a small part of my hometown story.
Thanks for sharing that link, Nylse! Your memories of your block sound lovely. Here in the suburbs we tend to pull the car into our driveway and never venture out. Especially during the unforgiving Texas summers. I think it keeps us from a lot of community.
Very interesting question to pose. I never really thought about this before.
But the first thing that comes to my mind is my longing for a central community and a simple life. We lived in a town in Northern New Jersey where you could walk to our town center and find stores for every need you might have, from clothing, to toys (as a child that was a biggy for me! lol), to cleaners, cobblers, shoe stores, hair dressers, bakeries, ice cream parlors, etc., etc.,. I just loved the sense of community and being just a walk away from the center of everything, where everyone said hello and was friendly, where family businesses were sustained by their fellow townspeople and where life just seemed so much simpler, slower and happier.
Thank you for this introspective question. I never really knew why I have always had a longing to live in an area just like that again, but now I know why. 🙂
It’s an interesting concept isn’t it, Karen?
I will have to check out the podcasts. I love both Brene Brown and Little Fires. My hometown is in an ultra-conservative region of PA. We had many Amish and Mennonite neighbors. I am sure my upbringing had a huge influence on my thoughts and beliefs as an adult.
I am sure it did!