Walter McKenzie

As a kid going to school from the late 40s through the early 60s, I took a lot of history classes and thought I had a pretty complete picture of the history of our country. As a kid who went to a lot of movies, I thought that the movies I saw were the best. I was wrong on both counts.

Why? Because the history classes and the movies left out a lot of stuff! As entertaining and wonderful as they were, most of them left out, or flat out misrepresented, large sections of our national fabric. Fortunately both history and movies are constantly re-evaluating themselves, and there is knowledge and truth available to this generation that was not available to mine when I was coming up. Some good examples of the evolution and continuing revelation of our collective history always come up during Black History Month.

As part of Black History Month, White Springs is hosting a double feature movie night at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Bailey Ogburn Recreational Facility, 10608 Adams Memorial Drive in White Springs. The evening will feature two films, “The Princess and the Frog” and “Hidden Figures,” that, in different ways, reflect upon the progress and the problems we’ve encountered along the journey associated with our black history, much of which we’ve witnessed in our lifetime. The films, two very different genres and storytelling styles, are entertaining, educational and inspirational.

The Princess and the Frog is an animated Disney film, significant because it was Disney’s first animated film featuring a black princess, and also significant because it is hand animated, reversing a five-year trend of computer generated animation at the time of its release. Taking place in 1912 New Orleans, the story follows Tiana, an aspiring young chef who is trying to save enough money to start her own restaurant. Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars and admired Disney’s step back to traditional animation, writing, “No 3-D! No glasses! No extra ticket charge! No frantic frenzies of meaningless action! And…good gravy! A story! Characters! A plot! This is what classic animation once was like!” Oprah Winfrey provides the voice for the character Eudora, Tiana’s mother who wants to see her happy and worries that Tiana focuses too much on her dream of owning a restaurant. And yes, there are frogs and magic spells involved too! A great fantasy story and a great lesson on never giving up.

The film “Hidden Figures” reflects upon two different types of prejudice, racial and gender, in telling the story of several brilliant African American women mathematicians who struggle to fit into and change the NASA culture of the 1960’s. The movie review site Rotten Tomatoes said, “In heartwarming, crowd-pleasing fashion, Hidden Figures celebrates overlooked — and crucial — contributions from a pivotal moment in American history.” This movie is an eye-opener to how blind we were, and still are, to the contributions made by African Americans and women to the early space race. This knowledge is empowering for all of us. I really liked this movie and I think you will too!

I’d like to remind you that there will be an appreciation program in honor of Mr. Kenny Hutcherson, who has worked for the Town of White Springs for as long as many of us can remember, on Saturday, March 3, at 4 p.m. at the White Springs Community Center. Plan ahead now to attend.

Also a reminder that the White Springs United Methodist Church will host an Old Fashion Hymn Sing, this Sunday, Feb. 25, at 4 p.m. at the church, 16580 Spring St. (U.S. Highway 41). Whatever your denomination, don’t miss this opportunity for a shared musical experience because everyone is invited!

No column would be complete without a comment about the unusual streak of warm weather that we have been experiencing lately. It’s enjoyable but concerning too. I mean, 10 days of temperatures in the 80s in February? What is going on? Now, even though it may be tempting, I’m not going to blame global warming, but I do think I know what the problem is. It was revealed to me as I was watching my new favorite event on television. It’s the Winter Olympics! So many people from all over the globe have converged there in South Korea, and they all agree on one thing, the weather, undoubtedly hoping and praying that the weather will be cold so that all the events, all of which require ice or snow, will be successful. Well, they overdid it! North Korea and South Korea and Russia and Iran and the USA and all the other countries have all been hoping and praying for the same thing, and they concentrated so much of the cold of the world’s atmosphere into one place, the Winter Olympics in Korea, that other places like White Springs have heated up! I’ve seen plants budding and blossoming way ahead of time and the birds are confused and can’t figure out whether to stay here or start heading back north, way ahead of schedule. Well just be patient, the Winter Olympics will be over soon and then, and not before then, we will get back to normal and have another cool spell. In the meantime, enjoy those shorts and T-shirts while you can!

Whatever the weather, I’m always glad to hear about goings on in the community and will be glad to share anything appropriate for this column. Email is the best way to contact me, but any way is welcome. I am thankful that we truly are all connected, and I hope that we can continue to feel proud of who we are and where we’re headed, and that we all appreciate that White Springs is a very special place, to be honored and protected. As always, I look forward to seeing you out and about, enjoying your community and your life in White Springs.

Walter McKenzie

386-303-1394

lifeinwhitesprings@gmail.com