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Description
As part of the Telling Arlington's Story initiative, Kenny James remembers his parents at the Multigenerational Afircan-American Storytelling Workshop at the Arlington Public Library. www.arlingtonstory.us
A
The
third
oldest
was
I,
was
my
dad
Cleveland
see
James
senior
aka,
the
good
doctor,
the
head
chief,
the
Chairman
and
everyone's
big
daddy.
You
see
growing
up
in
Arlington
I
had
to
share
my
father
with
the
community
because
he
was
such
a
big
part
in
the
community.
Now
he
retired
from
two
jobs:
the
Pentagon,
where
he
worked
for
years
in
the
printing
department
and
I,
also
worked
many
years
with
arlington
county
public
schools
and
food
service
and
one
of
the
things
he
did
in
food
service.
A
He
helped
many
of
the
immigrants
that
came
here
to
arlington
in
the
in
the
late
70s
and
the
80s,
the
first,
the
vietnamese
boat
people
that
came
here.
He
helped
them
learn
a
skill,
so
they
could
go
on
and
get
jobs
and
I
would
I
would
remember
how
many
of
the
people
were
grateful
that
he
was
able
to
pass
those
those
those
skills
along
to
him.
But
my
dad
was
also
a
chairman
of
st.
john's
baptist
church
deacon
board
for
37
years,
and
he
was
known
a
lot
for
that.
A
He
was
a
deacon
for
45
years
and
in
2002
he
was.
He
was
named
chairman,
emeritus
or
forever
the
chairman,
so
that
was
one
of
the
things
we
we
had
to
grow
up
sharing
my
dad
now
as
much
as
my
dad
was
a
great
man.
I
got
to
talk
about
a
little
bit
about
my
mom,
because
if
it
wasn't
for
my
mother
again,
if
it
wasn't
for
my
mother,
my
dad
could
never
have
done
all
these
things
that
he
did.
A
My
mom's
name
was
Mary
Louise
goods
James
and
she
was
kind
of
the
rock
of
the
family.
So
she
kind
of
held
things
together.
She
dished
out
the
disciplined,
and
you
know,
threatened
us
that
you
know
if
we
did
get
in
trouble,
but
she
was
going
to
tell
my
father
and
meanwhile
she
took
care
of
business
while
he
and
his
absence,
my
mom
was
raised
by
her
grandparents
in
foggy
bottom,
which
was
a
part
of
Washington
DC
and
then
also
Arlington.
Now.
A
The
reason
why
she
was
raised
by
her
grandparents
was
because
in
1929
when
she
was
born,
her
mother
died
and
it
was
of
a
simple
ear
infection,
but
you
see
in
1929.
Penicillin
had
not
been
invented
yet
and
I
always
remember
her
telling
me
stories
and
as
when
my
kids
would
get
sick.
You
know
about
penicillin,
and
you
know
and
the
antibiotic
that
we
have
now.
So
when
we
get
infections,
it's
something
we
don't
even
think
about,
but
jett.
You
know
she
didn't
even
have
her
mom
because
she
passed
away
from
a
simple
ear
infection.