JEFFREY SANDERS
JEFFREY SANDERS
PSU BLACK STUDIES, WINTER 2024
WATTLES GIRLS & BOYS CLUB
Where to learn to become wives and husbands
The place that builds
Future Doctors
The place that builds
Future Firefighters
The place that builds
Future Leaders
The place that builds
Future Wives
The place that builds
Future Husband
WATTLES GIRLS & BOYS CLUB
Where Youth stay Youth in a safe place
A safety place
A place where art is found
To find Hope when it is lost
Lost of a place called home
The home is enjoyment
The youth turns into healthy adults
The joy of a black place
Black places are where black folks are.
Wattles is home of future leaders
Black or White but still leaders
WATTLES GIRLS & BOYS CLUB
When I look at this photo I see the future or the potential of the future. THis photo reminds me of what girls and boys could become with the help of Wattles. Look at the smoothness of the yellow, and gray together. It does not look cold but welcoming. The cars in the parking lot are full of hope that they have potential for the youth to dream about. One day these potential healthy girls and boys will become healthy wives, to their husbands.
U-HAUL
My life of working ...
I could smell the pine tree
The water hits my head.
I still arrived before everyone.
I arrived before everyone
My job still looked the same
I thought I heard my grandpa
I could hear his voice
I still arrived before everyone
My life of working
My babies got their own room
Working to please my grandpa
I could hear his voice
I feel the rain hitting my head
I smell the pine tree just
Behind U-haul
I arrived before everyone
My life working
To understand that
I can hold a job
Working to become my grandpa!
Working comes easy
the scene of the pine taste like tree
The water hits me that turn into tears of my grandpa
I arrived and feel spite
everyone arrived for work
getting to work feel the same
grandpa is always with me
can grandpa hear my thoughts
everyone still arrived after me
Working comes easy
I wish I had my own room
grandpa worked hard to show me
can grandpa hear my thoughts
the rain hits my head and am dry
pine trees smell like morning
when I arrived at work
everyone arrived for work
I am trying to please my grandpa
can my grandpas see me?
I worked hard to show my grandpa Grandpa is inside of me
THE SERVICE OF PEOPLE
FIREHOUSE PHOTO
FINAL NARRATIVE #3
It was 1992 and every year at U-haul everyone receives a bonus check.
1992 I went across the street to purchase a Christmas tree for my family's house. Once I got to the tree lot, I overheard a conversation between this young lady and the Christmas tree attendant. This young lady had three young kids. This conversation wasn't going the way this young lady planned it out. At that moment I did not realize that she lived on Reed Way in between 88th, and 92nd right down the street from Fire station No. 11 at Reed Way, and 92nd. The fire stations that U-haul has build a relationship with over the
years. Just before I got involved in this conversation the young lady was asking the Christmas tree lot attendant if she could help around the Christmas lot so she could get her children a tree. The attendant was being rude and not willing to help this young lady with three young children to get them a tree. The look on these three young faces pulled at my heartstrings. I asked after a few moments of seeing these faces that reminded me as a child growing up. So asked were the best trees they had to offer? I pulled out my roll of money, maybe around $1000.00 as part of my bonus check. He told me that they had some beautiful trees in the back, and would I like to see them? With my smart mouth I said yea! The oldest of the three young children was looking with so much disappointment in her face that I decided to ask her would you help me pick out a tree?
The Christmas tree attendant shows us some trees that this little girl's face lit up from the beauty of the trees he showed us. I asked the little girl is that the tree you would want? The attendant said it's $110.00 without the stand. I looked at the mother with the three children and said would you like this tree? She said that she could not afford this tree, and she did not have any money to repay me. I told her that I work across the street at U-Haul as the manager. I told her my name, and then turned to the Christmas tree attendant and said you do not deserve any of my money and you need to be kind to people.
I looked at this young lady and the children and said we could go to another christmas tree lot and I'll purchase you guys any tree your heart desires. She agreed I met her and her children on 82nd and Holgate at a Christmas tree lot that was only a couple blocks away from their home. I could still see their innocent smiles, and joy in their eyes. I also remember how it made me feel. I wish I could have my son, and daughter present when I made the decision to help this family. I also gave her a $200.00 gift voucher for Fred Meyers that's on 82nd and Foster Road so she could give her children a somewhat nice Christmas. That was not the last encounter that I had with this family of four. Over the holiday season that year the oldest of three made me a Christmas card and am sure that it's still in storage that my daughter's mother has held for me over the years.
As I am writing this something comes to mind. Where did I learn to be kind? When I think of my childhood everything was not always bad. One of the moments from my childhood that I remember is when my family and I were on vacation to South Dakota. Our family stops to get gas someplace. It was a family at the gas station in a Yellow Volkswagen van with white trimming. This family, if I am correct, had four or five members in the family. It was a mother and three or four kids. She was trying to get gas money to make it to Seattle, Washington. I was only around 6 or 7 years old on the way to Mount Rushmore for vacation. My parents decided to give this family half of our sandwiches, and some money to make it to Seattle, Washington. Still to this day I do not know what type of trouble this family was in but I remembered the look of joy in the family faces just like I remember the same type of joy from the Christmas tree lot about 19 years later from that family.
Thank you for the talk last week because sometimes I beat myself up or think that I am not worthy to be in the presence of others. That is what comes to mind when I think of Fire station No. 11 at Reed Way, and 92nd I did my best, and this is what I see, and narrative through my eyes. | JS