Music in My Heart: My Journey with Melody

Melody and I decide to stay at the church to make posters. We sit at the table, stenciling big letters onto a poster board. Melody holds up one that says “DOWN WITH DISCRIMINATION.” I tell her it looks really good. I notice how evenly spaced her letters are. I ask her if she’s done this before. Melody reaches for a pot of paint and says she made signs for the Walk of Freedom last year. And she made signs when they picketed the Fieldston’s Clothing Store this year. She says the people that work there weren’t very nice to black people. The manager even accused her brother and her of shoplifting.

I’m speechless. That’s so unfair. I ask if the picketing did any good. Melody nods and begins to paint in the letters on her poster. She said it took a while. They started in February, and they handed out leaflets, explaining how Fieldston’s treated black customers. People stopped shopping there, and they lost a lot of money. Melody smiles and says the store manager agreed to change things.

I’m amazed. Picketing the store made things better. Melody says it didn’t happen right away, but it did make things better. She looks at my posterboard and says that my sign looks really good. I stenciled the words “JUSTICE NOW” on my sign, because I saw another girl do that. My letters aren’t as good as Melody’s, but after I fill them in with paint, they look nicer.

After we’re done with our letters, Melody and I add our own touches to the signs. She adds arrows pointing downward, and I underline the word “NOW”. We make more signs, too. By the time we’re done, my hands are spattered with paint.

When Yvonne comes in, she says that she needs help carrying all the signs. We should take them to a friend’s shop a few blocks away. Melody and I agree to help, and then we find out how heavy the signs are, and how hot it is outside. We can hardly wait to get to the shop.

After we drop off the signs, Melody says that we are all hot and thirsty. Yvonne glances up the street and says that we can go to Sam’s Soda Shop on the corner. She’ll buy us a soda as a thank you for our help. Melody looks tempted, but shakes her head. I want to ask why Melody was doesn’t want to go there. I could use an ice-cold soda already. Melody explains that Mommy won’t go there. She was treated badly by a white waitress once. Yvonne stops walking and arches her eyebrow. She says that Mom never mentioned it to her.

Melody’s mouth clamps shut and she says that’s probably because she knew that Yvonne would go in there and make a scene. Yvonne stares at Melody, and then asks again if we want a soda. Because if we do, then we should go in. It’s important to take a stand on things like this. Someone has to fight for what’s right.

Yvonne turns to me and ask what I think. Should we try to make a difference? Or should we keep walking? I catch Melody’s eye, but she looks just as unsure as I feel.