Persistence Overcomes Resistance

Never give up. Whatever you do, keep moving on. If you apply enough pressure long enough, even the strongest chain will eventually break. I found this to be true as early in my life as the third grade. I didn’t know it then, but I was living what I later adopted as my life motto. Even in the third grade, I was living Persistence Overcomes Resistance.
Do you remember ‘reading books’ in school? In my school, your reading level determined which reading book you were in. I was a pretty smart little cookie, so I was in an advanced reading book, A Time to Wonder. Actually, as I think back, all students had the same books, but they just advanced at different paces.
Anyway, towards the end of my third grade school year, my teacher recognized that my reading group would not finish the book by the end of the year so we stepped up our pace. We tried to get through as much as possible. By the time we reached the end of the school year, we had completed all but a few stories.
The following year when I was promoted to the forth grade, can you imagine my horror when I was issued A Time to Wonder again? Trust me, this little 8-year-old let them know she was not happy about repeating the same book. I complained to my teacher. “I’ve already read this book! It isn’t fair that I should have to repeat this book. Haven’t we read this book, Beth?” The little meek and mild Beth just nodded her head. I could see I wasn’t going to get any help from her! I turned to Abe who just looked down… he wasn’t any better!
So I went on to my next ally… my mother. I just couldn’t wait to get home and tell her about the injustice that was taking place at North Myrtle Beach Elementary School; she’ll straighten them out!
“Well, that’s not right,” she said. What! That’s all? Where was the outrage? Where were the ‘drop everything and go up there right now’ antics I was expecting. Dang, my ally isn’t as aligned with me as I thought she’d be. Well, I went along with the program…but not willingly.
Week One, Chapter One. At School: “I already read this.” At home: “They making me read this same story again; it’s not fair!” Week Two, Chapter Two. At school: “I already read this.” At home: “They making me read this same story again; it’s not fair.” Week Three, Chapter Three. A school: “I already read this.” At home: “They making me…” You get the picture.
Well, Mrs. Lee probably could ignore me day after day, but Ms. Cox couldn’t. I don’t know exactly when my mother made her way to the school, but can you imagine my glee when I walked into class one day and was told to pack my belongings? I was being advanced to another class that was more on my level. Trust me, I was ecstatic.
As I think back, my mother must have been pretty sick of hearing my mouth to take off her job to go down to the school and handle that situation. Black people didn’t take off their good jobs to go to the school for their children unless it was Parent-Teacher Conference Day, or the child was in trouble. Jobs were too hard to come by, especially for single mothers like mine. But my mother did it, and I am so glad she did!
I didn’t recognize it then, but I had won. I was the victor over an institution that told me to just deal with it… to just go along with the program. But I persisted, and ultimately, the resistance finally gave way.
See, strongholds do break. But not without persistence!