LISTENING

VIRTUE OF INTENSIVELY LISTENING There are many ways to learn. Even though I am an avid reader, and daily, actively, encourage all people to read, even I must note an exception for intensive listening! Back around 1966, I once was exposed to an intensive listening session of albums: "Message from the Grassroots," and "Ballots or Bullets," by Malcolm X, on a record player, in an all-black room, while laid out, alone, on a sleeping cot. A married, gele-wearing sister from Chicago, who, with her bearded-husband were graduate students at Washington University in St. Louis, was my blessed benefactor . I had been taken down to their house, which doubled as a tutorial site for area youngsters on McPherson Street, by female high school friends, who were already tutors in their program . The sister was an angel. Speaking to me briefly, she then took me upstairs, saying that I looked like a promising young brother who might benefit from something that she was about to do. Being 15 at the time, I wondered what that was? A darkened room consisting of a table with record player, and a single cot, was entered by us .Now I really wondered. Then, she told me to lay down. I did. Mind whirling! She sensed my uneasy curiosity and said "I want you to listen to something by Brother Malcolm X." I relaxed . For the next couple of hours, I laid there listening intently to Malcolm teach. His logic was irrefutable; the examples were genuine ; his ardent remonstrances and exhortations were very exhilarating! My mind was blown! My angel had returned to turn over each side, as it ended, like clockwork. In the end, she turned on the light. She smiled and asked if I had enjoyed the records. Yes! I had enjoyed them very much! Of course, I returned to our high school library on the next day and checked out Alex Haley's epic, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X! Reading rewards its researchers, but intensive listening does it, too!