Everybody giving each other high-fives and still saying: “It’s Miller Time. Change is gonna come.”
Just Chillin’ said, “Justin Trudeau has a lot of style, he’s a white Barack Obama. I feel that I can sit down with this new prime minister and call him Justin—what’s happening Justin, and he will give me a high-five.”
“I didn’t feel that I could do this with Harper. During the debates I watched him and it was like watching paint dry. Any of you ever sat and watch paint dry?”
To Tell You The Truth said, “You’re right, Just Chillin’. I heard about the meeting: Marc Miller and school buddies Marc Miller; Marc Garneau, Wayne Yearwood, Trevor Williams and Bob White at a restaurant five days before the election. They sat for two hours. I don’t know what Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the others could’ve talked about for two hours.”
A baby mother came into the barbershop with her son; she was carrying an expensive designer bag.
Dropout asked her, “What’s your name?”
She answered, “Yum Yum.”
“What’s your son’s name?”
She said, “Ask him.”
Dropout said, “Son, What’s your name?”
The boy said, “Ask my mom.”
Dropout said, “I did. Well do you know what time it is, since you won’t tell me your name?”
The boy said, “It’s Miller Time.”
Everybody in the barbershop said, “Amen. It’s Miller Time.”
Hampstead Harry came into the barbershop, hesitated; looked around to see if anyone recognized him. Nobody did.
There was only one person ahead of him. He sat in the corner and started to read a copy of Community CONTACT.
Big John entered the barbershop. Hampstead Harry looked up and said, “Hi.”
Ten minutes later Money came in, Hampstead Harry looked up again; they both smiled. Hampstead Harry was looking confident.
Big Reggie came in; he nodded to Hampstead Harry. Harry smiled.
Rufus the barber said, “Hampstead Harry you’re next.”
Big John said, “You been quiet. I heard Harry,”
“Yeh,” said Big Reggie. “You’ve been very quiet reading the truth, Community CONTACT. Tell us what you believe for a fact.”
Hampstead Harry said, “I want to thank you people for asking me to say something. I say you people or ‘them’ because this is just one of a few names they call you behind your back. I usually get my CONTACT from my housekeeper who’s from the Islands.”
Because you’re all adults, listen to me very carefully so I don’t have to repeat myself. I’m not here to entertain ‘you people.’ You are excellent at that. We are your agents and managers, because show business should be two words show business. We are better at business because we work at it.”
In the Community Contact, October 29, 2015, Respect due the Rt. Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey. It blew my mind when I read that in 1921 he was able to attract more than 50,000 people for a UNIA International Convention at Madison Square Garden in New York City. All they had to do was study “my people” or work with “my people” and we would’ve taught them Economics.
Hampstead Harry said, “You know that I collect rents. I used to go with my father to collect rents near Vinet and St. James Streets. A gentleman owned property near there on Coursol Street. He was a member of the UNIA. If ‘you people’ were organized like we are, you could’ve owned a lot of property around there now, including the church on Vinet and St. James. Most of those properties were sold for $10,000 back then, now they sell for $400,000 to $700,000.
Every week I take a bit of money and invest it in stocks for my housekeeper. I buy her tobacco-cigarettes and soft drink stocks. I told her no matter which way the economy goes the public will always smoke and drink.
My housekeeper goes to church every Sunday. I told her to tell the minister to use some of the collection to invest in safe stocks like I just mentioned, and the rest to buy a bigger church. But the minister won’t listen to her.
I tell her most people let their minds wander too much, and to keep her children focused. A prep school in New England costs $56,000 a year–this is high school, not university. I tell her by accident of birth her skin is black, and she will experience racism; it will never stop in North America, because racism is a business. I tell her they will hire unqualified whites over qualified Blacks and to prove that they are not prejudiced or racist they will hire unqualified Blacks.
But in the end the key to a “good life” in this life is a good education. If you’re busy after university life is short. I can only do so much for her because she has no support once she leaves my household.
She tells me one of the favorite hymns at her church is the “Old Rugged Cross.” But I keep telling her as she goes through life she will find out that it’s rugged individualism—nobody cares. Get what you can while you can, while you have the health. It’s unfortunate, money isn’t everything it’s the only thing.
I tell my housekeeper to keep reading Community CONTACT. It’s the only newspaper that will tell us what’s going on with English-speaking Blacks in Quebec.
I showed her an article in the November 3, Gazette, Park adjacent to City Hall to receive $25 M. facelift. I showed her that her people have nothing and that the City of Montreal doesn’t care about nonwhites, or as they call them, visible minorities. All they want is at election time, every four years, is the vote of so-called “visible minorities.”
I explain to her that it’s almost impossible for her people to become city councilors; they have two chances: slim and none.
She asked me, “What is the solution?”
I told her, “find a good white person and work with him or her. There’s no other solution.”
She asked, “How do you find a good white person?”
I told her it’s not easy because they find it almost impossible to get past your color.”
Professor put up his hand and asked Hampstead Harry, “Why don’t you wear a Poppy or those soldiers that fought or our freedom?”
“Read the Globe and Mail, October 31,” Harry answered.
The frontpage headline read, “The Unremembered. After you read it, when I come back to the barbershop we will discuss it…”
Before leaving, Hampstead Harry had a few more things to say.
“The only reason why I come to this barbershop is because I collect rents in the area, and my housekeeper is from the islands. I don’t have to come here for a haircut; I can go anywhere. I’m white and I can talk perfect French, so they don’t know my ethnic origin. You can’t; you’re Black. They see you coming and their mental guard goes up.”
“So now you have a bridge, your bridge is the Right Hon. Marc Miller, your opportunity for change. I’m sure he will help, and why not? It benefits him and Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada. Here’s an opportunity for them to show that “Multiculturalism” is not just a theory in Canada. It’s a reality.”
“I’ll see you all next month when I stop by to collect my rents,” Hampstead Harry said.