1. Extra Credit Ida Daly
Section2
Sirsparticus: The Boy Who Changed Everything
Growingup,I alwaysconsideredmyself tobe afriendtoall. Many of my friendsin school were
Hispanicand Asian;howeverthere were noblackchildreninmyschool. There wasonlyone blackman
wholivedin ourtown. Though he was a well-respectedman,Icouldn’thelpbutnotice how he was
assimilatedintowhite society. He wasmarriedto a white woman,andevenreferredtohimself aswhite
on the inside. Asayoungchild,I didn’tunderstandwhyhe woulddosucha thing.
Duringgrade school,feelingsof displeasurewere evidentamongthe eldergroupasmore and
more minoritiesbegantofilterintothe towntoworkat local factories. Theytoowere assimilatedinto
white society. Asayoungchildwatchingthis,Ibeganto believe thisformof treatmentwasalright. I
continuedtohave mixedfeelingsuntilmymid20’s when Imeta youngAfricanAmericanboynamed
Sirsparticus.
It was the summerof 2010. Many new thingswere happeningwithmylittle family. Itwasour
firstsummerinour newhome,andthe firstsummerinwhichitwas justmy sonand I. There were
manyhesitantfeelingsaboutournewhome aswe were notuse to havingneighborssoclose. However,
as the summermarchedon,my son became more confidentwiththe neighborhoodandbeganplaying
withthe childrenoutside. Little bylittlehe beganbringinghisnew friendstoourhome. As the summer
ragedon, more and more friendsstartedfrequentingouryard. Amongthese friendswasSirsparticus,
thoughthe kids likedtorefertohimas Siror Sugar Man.

2. ImmediatelyafterseeingSir,fearandhesitationcrossedmymind. How wouldmysonrelate
withhim? Wouldhe get myson intotrouble? Those fearswere immediatelyabolishedasSir
approachedme witha bigsmile andan extendedhand. Ashe introducedhimself andledintoastory
abouthow he got the nickname SugarMan, I begandamningmyself forhavingsuchthoughtstowardsa
boythat I didn’tknowsimplybasedonhisskincolor. WhywouldI have hadsuch a reactionwhenI was
not raisedthatway? My motherand fatherraisedme to believe inequalityandtrustaperson’ssoul,
not theirappearance.
As the conversationcontinued,Idiscovered the reasonwhyIhadthe initial reactionIdid.
Throughoutmychildhood,all Iseenandheardthroughouttownwasthe condemnationof blackpeople
fromthe elderpopulation. Standingthere talkingtothis youngboy,itbotheredme sobadlythat I
wouldlettheiropinionsaltermyowninsucha way. Here was thisinnocent,sweet,kind,and well-
mannered littleboystandinginfrontof me. It wasobviousthathe wasapprehensive abouthisnew
environmentandmerelywantedtobe aregularkid.
AftertalkingwithSirforquite a while,Iwasfortunate enoughtobe able tomeethisfather,
Marcus andhis sister,Dana. Throughconversation,Ilearnedthattheymovedtoourtownfrom
Chicago. Marcus begantellingme storiesabouttheirneighborhoodinChicagowhichreallyopenedmy
eyestothe issuesfacingAfricanAmericans andminorities ininnercities. These storiesincluded
violence,prostitution,anddrugdealing. He toldme how hisbrotherwas mistakenforsomeone else
and shotin the shoulderwhile walkinghome one day. He feared forhischildren’ssafetyeveryday
because of theirsurroundings. Afterhearinghisstoriesandtalkingtohimfora longtime,Iwenthome
witha newappreciationforournewfriends. However,noteveryone inthe townhadthe same mindset.
The disapproval of the town’smajoritycouldbe feltineveryshopintown. Peoplebeganlabelingtheir

3. familyasif theywere poison. Soonafterthe attempttoassimilate became the majority’swayof
handlingthisnewculture. Little didtheyknow itwouldnotworkthistime.
Initially,the white majorityfoughtwithThe Walkerfamily. Remarkswere made anywhere they
went,andthe kidswere treateddifferentlyatschool because the teachersdidnotknow how to
“approach” them. Sirsparticuswaslabeledabadkidsimplybecause he communicateddifferentthan
the white kidsandhissisterDana wastreatedharshlyinherSpecial Educationclass. Throughoutall of
this, Marcus remainedan incrediblystrongindividual. He stoodupagainst discrimination byremaining
true to himself andmakingsure hiskidsdidtoo. Overtime theirfamilybegantobe accepted. Today,
theirfamilyiswell knownand well-likedbythe majority.
Sirsparticus still comestomyhome almosteveryday. He has developedabond like anolder
brotherwithmydaughter. Aside frommyson,there isno childaroundthat she looksupto like
Sirsparticus. He protectsherwhenthe kidsare runningaroundoutside,teacheshernew things,and
helpsherupwhenshe falls. Thisboyisso amazinglyimportanttomyfamilythatif he hurts,we all hurt.
Lookingback now,Icannot imagine whatourliveswouldbe like hadhe notenteredthem. Iam very
proudto call the WalkerfamilymyfriendsandI’mevenproudertosaythat our little communitynow
has manyblack residents. The Walkerfamilynotonlychangedmylife,butmycommunity’slife aswell.
We have become aplace of solidarityandpeace amongall races;a place I’m proudto call my home.