Carla-Elaine Johnson Carla-Elaine Johnson, MFA, Ph.D., writes essays, poetry, and fiction. A columnist for The Wild Hunt since 2017 (as Clio Ajana), she has contributed to the anthologies - Shades of Faith: Minority Voices in Paganism (2011) and Bringing Race to the Table: Exploring Racism in the Pagan Community (2015). Her day job wrangling books and people brings love and light to her life.
The Year When Everything Went to Hell: 2020 (An Excerpt) INVISIBLE My own father worked the blast furnace at the local steel mill, taught as a substitute teacher after retirement, and raised money for a much needed church elevator. Better yet, he was one of the few black supervisors or “white hats” at Bethlehem Steel. He smoked, drank, ate anything, and died of pancreatic cancer in 1996.
My father’s grandfather was a fisherman, married three times, and fathered at least 20 children with two of his three wives. He kept the bar open every Saturday night until my father walked in to take his hand and lead him home. He died in the blizzard of 1966 when he slipped on the ice while heading back from the liquor store to his latest girlfriend. He was 96.
Both men were large, strong, and compassionate men. Skin color dictated their career paths. My father wanted to be a lawyer, but he was too dark for the color bar. His grandfather tried to change by moving states, but he was stuck with the sea.
Strong black men are invisible. They exist for families, friends, lovers, and spouses, but never to the ruling majority. My father helped his black co-workers learn to read by using the newspaper because you could get a good job at the plant even if you didn’t know how to read. Most wore yellow hats, as workers. Crane work led to many heart attacks and strokes. Occupational hazard, they said.
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