Summer Suppertime

The smell of sweet grass, the creak of the swingset, the drops of water on the deck, the open screen door, it's all part of a night in summer at the VanDeWalker dinner table. For as long as I can remember, Saturdays, under the warm sun, have been reserved for the family. All of us kids can argue all we want, but when it comes to fish on the grill, we are sitting at that table every Saturday night. It's a ritual. Even though it all seems set in time, when we eat, where we eat, what we eat, we are hardly ever doing the same thing twice. Some nights my little brothers are creating a flood with all the water they have splashed out of the pool, but other nights, they are the ones setting the table. Either my mom is sprinting to get the marinade for the fish, or she is retuning home from sports practice. The rushing and headaches don't subside until we are all sitting in our places at the stone table on the terraced patio. And even then, summer suppertime isn't about controlling the chaos; it's a time when our parents make sure we don't harm ourselves with laughter.

While most families' suppers are a quiet event with talk about the day, we hardly ever go a meal with out someone being thrown in the pool. My parents make sure we never eat what is normal. Hotdogs and hamburgers are known as the perfect Saturday cook out meal, but our feasts consist of oysters and horseradish, halibut or clams, beets and goat cheese, and scallops. Family gathering time gives a way for all of us to keep up in each other's lives and share the stories of the day. Even though we all seem quite out of control at times, we know when to settle down. We know when it's time to be reverent for the prayer; we know when it's time to listen; and we know very well when it is time to howl with laughter. Whether it's mustard on someone's nose or the grill catching on fire, a giggle will always be present. After everyone has eaten their fill of the sea, we all work like a well-oiled machine to tidy up before the "midnight water polo game". Everyone takes in their own plate, someone scrubs the table, and even though we all like to think everyone is helping, we all know Max, the youngest, is floating in the pool.

For the VanDeWalker family in the summer, suppertime is about as crazy as it can get; however, it's also the most sane time of our day. Without the Saturday meal, we wouldn't be apart of each other's lives. Our family uses this time to partake in the life of the person next to them, if only for a few, short seconds. We try to be mature and sophisticated at dinner, but it never works because one thing is for certain, we wouldn't be the Van De Walkers if we didn't throw formality to the wind and just enjoy our chaotic and laughable summer suppers.

Freedom's Fight

“…freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”


Martin Luther King Jr. uttered these words in his letter directed to white clergy men who had accused him of being too aggressive and impatient in his fight for black freedom. However, are the oppressed ever too aggressive? The black people of America were trampled upon. They were ripped from their homes and thrown into a life of hatred and heartache. Even after they were "legally freed", none of them had any freedom at all. The oppressed black people were constantly hindered by day to day things, a drinking fountain that only "whites" could drink out of, a store that sold necessary items but where only "whites" could shop. The rich, white people of the south never felt the sting of segregation like the black people did. They never experienced the lash of the whip or the vile words. That's why history never sees the privileged standing up for the depraved. Mr. King impressed upon his audience that freedom never comes without a fight and that fight is never truly won until the oppressed are no longer degraded.


Instead of saying, in his letter, the black people should stand up to the white, Mr. King kept his statement very broad. By using this tactic Mr. King compelled his audience to apply this to their own lives. When the reader reflects on what Martin King said, he finds it to be true. No matter if it is a sister tormenting her little brother or terrorists attacking the United States, oppression won't stop until someone who understands the pain of being the weaker victim, proclaims freedom. Throughout history there have been wars fought for freedom, some violent and some not. The Jews taken into slavery by the Egyptians during the B.C. era were never going to break free of the despair inflicted upon them. The Egyptians were not going to have a revelation one day and free every slave they owned allowing them to wonder off into the desert. Moses was the voice of the oppressed. He fought the war of freedom. He erected himself as a beacon of hope for the Jews that had no will to live. Was he an Egyptian? No, he was a Jew. He was a man that saw evil and was brave enough to bring about change. Brave enough to lead his people across a parted sea. If there had been no one willing to stand up to the oppressive Egyptians, the Jews would have lived a lifetime of woe. As humans, we are able to apply Mr. King's words to all of history, making it more concrete and compelling to every audience.


Martin Luther King Jr. was the voice of the oppressed. He encouraged everyone to fight for what was right because he knew best of all that nothing worth fighting for would ever be handed to him freely. Even though the black people encountered much harsher conditions of sorrow and wretchedness, these few words that Mr. King thrust upon the white people of America, gives hope to all who do not have a voice. He compels people to be brave and hopeful, to be strong and direct, to be wise but demanding. He encourages everyone to fight freedom's fight because after it is won, freedom's fight becomes freedom's conquer.

Let's Ban the Ban

Why were books written? Why? To teach lessons, of course. It doesn't matter if it's the children's book, Ferdinand, or one of Jane Austen's classics. Ferdinand educates on the importance of being one's self. Pride and Prejudice, one of Austen's masterpieces, instructs on the challenges of love. However, there are books in the modern society that are being locked away, that are not being permitted to teach their lessons. No book should ever be banned! The character's actions, or the ending, or the diction, might not be to the liking of all, but is that a justified reason to silence a teacher forever?

It is obvious to see why many books would be banned from schools in this day and age. To Kill A Mockingbird, The Color Purple, Huckleberry Finn - all of these classics have absolutely one thing in common, the mistreatment of black people. Within the pages of each one of these books lies horrific accusations against the colored characters and taunting names that should never be mentioned. The reader sits in disgust as a white man shoots a black man for simply being black (To Kill A Mockingbird). Schools today, ban books that have a dour theme, books that make one's skin crawl and feel ashamed of the things America did to the people of Africa. Isn't that a good thing? Students need to be reading about the terrifying things of the past. They need to be understanding of the mistakes made by their ancestors. To Kill A Mockingbird is not a book that should be read to demonstrate the power of the word nigger. No, it is book that should be cherished because a man of unfathomable courage stands up for a weaker victim simply because it is the right thing to do. That is what the students will remember! They will remember that Atticus Finch defended Tom Robinson.

Young people need an example to follow. While many think an influential example is a good person doing good things at a good time, teenagers, who think they are all wise and powerful, sometimes need to observe what the bad does to someone who partakes in it constantly. The Great Gatsby, a book of partying and chaos, may be conceived as a book promoting a life of low morals. Jay Gatsby falls in love with a married woman. Daisy Buchanan's husband is having an affair on the weekends. For these reasons the book is controversial. No teacher wants students reading about such poor desicions made by characters of little or no decency. However, the finale of this book justifies everything that was written within the beginning pages. What happens to Jay Gatsby, the man who seduced a married woman? He dies. How does Daisy find peace in the end of the book? She doesn't. She remains lost and hopeless forever. By reading this book, students are preached to about consequences and heartache. Just because the characters of the 1920s novel drink a little too much and party a little too hard does not mean it is detrimental to a student's education. It instructs them and provokes thought on the hazards of an irresponsible lifestyle.

Watering down the past happens so easily. Teachers talk about black and white segregation and the holocaust in classrooms day by day. Students find it easy to just zone out because they have heard the same story over and over. Reading a book that is harsh and direct and true is the one thing that speaks to the soul. Stereotypes are shattered when one reads an autobiography of a black person. The colored people of the south don't appear as mistreated anymore. No, it is much worse! They are abused, tortured, and ripped from their family. If books are going to be utilised to their fullest potential they need to be read, understood, and applied. To learn the lessons of the past, a book that hurts the heart might have to be read. So let's stop banning books and let them do what they are supposed to do. Teach.

Me, Myself, and I

No, I'm not a millionaire and no, I'm not dripping with money but I am surrounded by the most beautiful jewels of them all, my family.

My mom and dad began their family with me in Charlotte, North Carolina. That's right, I'm the oldest. And I'm not just an ordinary big sister, I'm a big sister to 4 brothers and 1 sister. Addison is 2 years younger than me. Being my other half, he knows everything about me and then some. Then there is Livi, Nik, who was adopted from Russia, and Jack, and then Max. We are all one big happy but imperfect family. I love them, a lot!  

There are a couple things that are really important that you know about me. I LOVE LIFE! Every second, every day, it's all a memory. I would pick up my bags and go to any place in the world if someone gave me a ticket. Traveling is my passion. Learning new cultures, and experiencing the food, and living the life of a foreigner fascinates me. 

 The Philadelphia Phillies are THE team and they will be for my whole life.

I believe in waiting. Waiting for the chance to speak up, waiting for the perfect pitch, waiting for the man of your dreams. If no one waits for anything, then nothing will be craved. 

Music relieves the soul and art has undoubted beauty. Being a cellist, pianist, and lover of theatre, art and music make my life a song.

I'm 17 and even though I don't know much about life, I know what life feels like. My existence is a place of joy where everyone comes together and laughs. Not all the days are great but they are all worth living.  It's not a millionaire's life, but it sure is better.