I live among what I describe as "Aging Hippies", "Good Ole Boys" and "Wise-Women" in the village of Saxapahaw (sax ‘ pa’ haw), Alamance County NC. It is situated along the Haw River, a five minute walk from my house.
The Sissipahaw Indians were the indigenous people that owned the land that is now Saxapahaw. The land was later acquired by Congressman B Everett Jordan who built a cotton and dye mill along the river. The mill has long since closed. Congressman Jordan allowed the mill workers to buy their homes. And those cottages are now part of the landscape of Saxapahaw.
My cottage is nestled on four acres of land surrounded by maple, oak and pine trees. The previous owners renovated it with skylights and a sitting room with lots of windows. On the way to my place there is the Saxapahaw General Store where you can sit down to a delicious dinner of pan seared fish du jour. And then buy a quart of motor oil.
Spring greets us with red buds that line five miles of Church Rd, which Is the main drag In Saxapahaw. I love being here. It is a beautiful piece of God given real estate. It is the place that makes me happy.
Although the people who live here come from different cultures, races, political views, and life experience, we manage to get along. My closest neighbor, Donnie, is a working-class white guy who drives a pickup truck with a gun rack. Some would call him a "Good Ole Boy". Some might be tempted to stereotype him and his attitudes. I am a Black woman who has spent most of my life as a civil rights activist, therapist, educator, and anti-racism facilitator. And I suspect some would be tempted to stereotype me and my attitudes as well.
As a new resident of this rural community, having moved from Chapel Hill NC, I knew nothing of well pumps and septic tanks. And In an unusually harsh winter for the south, we were greeted with two feet of snow with temperatures that dropped below 20 degrees. My water pipes froze. That " Good Ole Boy" brought me five gallons of water and trudged through the snow to put a halogen light in my pump house to thaw my pipes. He and I celebrated the birth of his three children. And I agonized when Spencer, his second born, got meningitis. Loren, his wife, who has a wicked sense of humor, was pregnant with Harrison their oldest when I moved here. For twenty years now I have watched their children grow from Infants to toddlers, to teenagers and now young adults. And they have shared my excitement at the birth of my grandchildren.
Saxapahaw Is part of the municipality of Graham NC. So, I was hurt disappointed and dismayed when I witnessed on the national news the treatment of peaceful marchers on their way to the polls in Graham. I saw children and elderly people in wheelchairs choking and vomiting after Alamance County law enforcement sprayed them with tear gas. I saw police manhandling peaceful protesters subduing and forcing them to the ground. The explanation from law enforcement? The marchers were blocking the street and did not have permission to stop and kneel to remember the tragic death of George Floyd. And for that they felt compelled to punish these peaceful people.
I pay taxes that support the sheriff's office and the local police. And I believe many of us who live In Saxapahaw and the surrounding area of Alamance County do not want our tax dollars used in this way… #Not in My Name. This method of law enforcement does not reflect who we are as citizens of this county.
But I believe there Is a more compelling Issue than my taxes to consider. We must ask ourselves In Alamance County and as a nation ‘Who are we to one another?’. I acknowledge that many of the citizens of Alamance are conservative. But is the mistreatment and abuse of peaceful citizens an expression of conservative values?
Many of us in Alamance also Identify as liberal, progressive, independent, and libertarian. Do we not deserve equal respect, and protection, under the law? What was so egregious that it required abusing peaceful people on their way to the polls? And why are those who are the most peaceful among us controlled and contained while those who are aggressive and violent allowed to run amok? And If this Is the policy and practice of Alamance law enforcement, are they really qualified to serve us…all of us?
I think we should consider this as we make our choice for sheriff and other municipal positions at the next election. I have found a place that makes me happy. I believe I live among honorable, fair minded people whatever their political persuasion. It Is time for public officials and those in law enforcement to step up and reflect the character of the people for whom they have been elected and paid to serve.
Lutricia Callair