Colonel Stone Johnson: Local Civil Rights Legend

Bethel Baptist Church, Birmingham, Ala.
Photo from Wikipedia

Colonel Stone Johnson calls himself a "foot soldier" of the civil rights movement. He took on the job of security detail for Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth during the early days of the civil rights struggle when Birmingham, Alabama was dubbed "Bombingham." It was not until I was an adult that I heard the story of Mr. Johnson picking up a smoking bomb from the steps of Bethel Baptist Church and tossing it into the street before it could do harm. I wrote the following poem in the afternoon of the same day that I heard the story. As a relatively comfortable white person growing up in the South, I cannot presume to know what Mr. Johnson's experience was at the time, but these are the words I came away with.

To Colonel Stone Johnson
(and all who fight for justice, freedom, and peace)
By Charles Kinnaird

I heard he once picked up a smoking bomb
And threw it off the steps of Bethel Baptist Church.
Why did he take the risk?

It was not to save bricks and mortar
That he risked his own safety.
Bricks and mortar are easily replaced.

It was not in defense of faith.
Faith has already survived much harsher assaults.

Was it to save a life?
I don't know that anyone was in the building.

What he did do was to prevent
Yet one more insult
Against a downtrodden people.
He caused there to be one less act of degradation.

It was to say,
"This is one act of hatred
That will end in the street
Rather than on someone's doorstep."

It was an act of faith
That the chain of hatred can be broken;
That the cycle of violence can stop.

It was a sign of hope
That there will be other days
When someone will say,
"Not today.
There will be no violence today."



_

Note: I met Mr. Johnson a few years ago at a dinner in his honor. Fred Shuttlesworth was the keynote speaker and I had been invited to read my poem. I presented Mr. Johnson with a copy of my poem. The curator for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute requested a copy to be placed in the archives there. 



*

Suddenly Robins

A beautiful and balmy sunny day today!
Walking outside
There is no need of coat or hat.
The song sparrow’s warble pierces the air.
Earth beckons us to wake from our winter slumber
As she begins to cast off the grayness of winter.
Buds appear on the spirea
And green begins to peep out in patches
Across the yard.
Suddenly robins have appeared.
Joyfully they forage through the grass and leaves
Proclaiming that newness is at hand.
They herald the shift in the world
That welcomes Persephone’s return.

Suddenly Wisconsin

There is something inspiring about seeing the people gathering together and their voice being heard. As the story unfolded in Egypt this month, there was a sense of thrill and excitement, but also of trepidation. What if chaos reigns and violence explodes? Then we saw jubilation in those crowds when peaceful protests (without guns and bombs) along with that democratic facilitator of the people – electronic communication – brought an end to 30 years of oppression. I had a similar feeling of exultation years ago when the people of The Philippines gathered en masse to protest the sham elections under Ferdinand Marcos. I’m not sure how much difference that peaceful overthrow made in the ensuing years to the Philippine people, but it showed the world what the voice of the people can do. How things play out in Egypt will be another story (and is yet to be seen).

We have seen, however, the effects of letting that genie out of the bottle: other despotic regimes in the Middle East are in danger of teetering (will twittering lead to more teetering?). Just as the printing press gave more power to the people at the time of our own American Revolution, electronic media may be exponentially increasing the influence of the masses. Whether for good or ill (probably some of both) electronic communications will be shaking up the political landscape.

Now we see the people of Wisconsin coming out en masse to protest attempts by the few (funded by large corporate money) to undo the good of the many. Those union workers, teachers, firemen, and servants of the public are letting their voice be heard. And hear it we must, lest we forget that it was the unions who facilitated child labor laws, safe work environments, the 40-hour work week, pensions and benefits for the working people. The only ones who would benefit by breaking the unions are the corporations who live for profit, not for the people. Their goal is market shares rather than justice and equity.

How will it all play out? Usually political events bring a mixed bag. Most often, when there is progress it will be three steps forward, two steps back. The most important thing may be for all people to realize that they do have a voice, and like so many things in history, that new awareness has come out of Egypt.



*