A Celebration of Park Preservation

And here we are, people...

A young African American Male of 25 years old - who was intrigued and inspired by the historical rezoning of the city Paterson Great Falls by the way - was rehearsing his speech for Paterson Great Falls’ decade-and-a-half anniversary.  He was a National Park Ranger affiliated with the National Park Foundation, strutting back and forth in front of his apartment wall mirror. His goal was to perfect his tonality and facial expressions for the recognition speech. He was not only going to be speaking to a massive crowd but also was going to speak in front of the Superintendent of Paterson’s School District and Paterson's Mayor. His name was Jeremiah, and he wiped the nervous sweat that dripped from his brow because he believed he figured it all out. Until shhiit hit the fan.

………………………………………2 Days Later…………………………………………….

“Sir, you don’t know anything about Paterson, nonetheless Paterson Great Falls. So what gives you the right to speak first? My name is Cheyenne, and I’m calling you out on your bluff. Where were you when we were leading the initiative to have Paterson Great Falls maintained as an exhibition of nature and beauty,” stated Cheyenne. Honestly, Jeremiah was struck speechless. He was 25 and she was 14. Of course, from a distance, one could see that she was shorter than Jeremiah. However, Cheyenne’s frustration and agitation empowered Cheyenne to currently loom over Jeremiah. 

Cheyenne’s lithe built and black Adidas track suit made her look like the next track star who could run in the Olympics. She had her hair braided in long winding braids up and down her scalp to hip, and she was accessorized with dangling gold earrings. Jeremiah was really left speechless not only at Cheyenne’s audacity but at the size and width of the speech she had in her hand. Throughout Cheyenne’s declaration to Jeremiah, she was waving what seemed to be a thick stack of paper. Jeremiah was disgusted by the vain attempt to bring not only her voluminous rebellion but also her dissertation to the podium set-up. 

“Well, missy miss. Whom might that dissertation be meant for?” Jeremiah rebutted. Cheyenne cocked her head backwards as if Jeremiah still wasn’t supposed to have a voice in the matter on the grand anniversary of Paterson Great Falls. “I know you have heard the phrase it takes two to tango, Miss Intellectual. To my knowledge I am the Paterson Great Falls Youth Director and the ceremony is meant to be an hour long split 6 ways: 15 minutes for me, 15 minutes for you, 15 minutes for your peer named Cato, 7 minutes for the Mayor, and seven minutes for the Superintendent. I love how you arrived second to me. But let's be fair you haven’t been any help besides scrutinizing me, Cheyenne. And we have 45 minutes left to set up for the event,” Jeremiah exclaimed. Cheyenne batted her eyes in disbelief. “Are you going to help me set up miss” Jeremiah pleaded as he gestured to the stands. In doing so, he noticed a billowing canopy slowly rising off the ground. Jeremiah raced to staple the billowing canopy onto the sidewalk with his left foot. He then squared off to face Cheyenne once again. 

“The better question is: to whom do I write my letter of dissatisfaction to. Lmfao. I’m going to practice my speech in front of the railing,”  Cheyenne disregarded. It definitely was a nice day to be outside at the Paterson Great Falls. The water was smoothly rushing down the cliffs and into the river stream. The rocks and its mana glowed when the water hit the rocks. From the position Jeremiah and Cheyenne were in, the railing’s color matched perfectly with the bridge on the far north side of the Paterson Great Falls. All of the Paterson Great Falls was basked in the early dew of the 3:20 p.m sun. It’s just that the day was so damn windy due to it being October! Jeremiah didn’t mind it one bit because he saw it as the trees were singing. But he did mind the set up being blown away into the distance. 

Thankfully, Jeremiah already tacked down the silver stands in a rectangular format on the pavilion. The railing - where Cheyenne was camera shooting a model shoot - was the place that couples, visitors or sole seekers visited to see the Paterson Great Falls stream flow away into Paterson’s sole nature preserve. It was a beautiful sight, there is just one issue that drowns out the sound of nature…

“I didn’t give two fucks but I got it from the mud, I got it from the mud..” blasted a car pulling up behind the four rectangular stands. Out of the car came out a 14 year old black male adolescent with a silvery, gold chain, red Nikes and a red Polo shirt. He wore the same cornrows as Jeremiah - Jeremiah’s shine was his one left stud whereas this14 year old’s shine was a chain and a gold watch. “Shazam,” Jeremiah thought to himself. He admired the young man’s  purposeful cadence and outfit until…

“VROOM,” the car pulled off; leaving a trail of smoke that wisped into the wind. Jeremiah gave a small frown and shook his head, but the young man continued to walk up to Jeremiah proudly. 

“Would you like some help with this, sir,” offered the young man. 

“Sure,” replied Jeremiah. “I presume your, Cato, correct?” 

“I am,” Cato answered.

“I heard you playing the song ‘Mud’ from Lil Durk’s 300 Days 300 Nights mixtape. That’s what's uup,” Jeremiah stated.

“Yeah. It’s true. My older brother put me on to it,” Cato nodded. “But what do you know about Lil Durk’s mixtapes….”

“Hey Cato!” Cheyenne hollered. “Don’t talk to this ignorant stranger when you owe me a snack from the store given how much I helped you with your speech!!” Cheyenne hugged Cato fondly. 

“Woww, like I didn’t put in some work to complete my speech,” Cato puffed proudly within his embrace of Cheyenne. They finally separated from their embrace.  “I don’t have what you are looking for, Beautiful. I came over here as quickly as I could to be the first one to give my speech. But here you all are,” Cato said sheepishly. 

“Damn right, Cato. I’m giving my speech first,” Cheyenne demanded. 

“No speech will happen if we can’t come together to put this tent up,” Jeremiah stated whilst puffing his National Park Foundation Polo up proudly. Cheyenne rolled her eyes. Cato smirked.

“Do you see why I am tired of this man?” Cheyenne asked Cato. 

“I see. This man presumes to know a lot,” Cato confirmed. And then they both looked away from Jeremiah to confer with each other about whose speech will be the best in the Director of the School Board’s eyes.  But Jeremiah was fed up. 

Ironically, Cheyenne and Cato were ignorant of who Jeremiah really was. Jeremiah is the one who is chosen for the Paterson Great Falls youth development yet these young adolescents seem to always forget it takes one to work in the mud for success. Moreover, deep down in Jeremiah’s gut, he knew that one moment in each of these adolescence’s memories of  the Paterson Great Fall there was a picture of dirt, stained black jeans. 

At least, that is what Jeremiah had on right now. Because Jeremiah - whom has been renovating natural grounds for the National Park’s Foundation for 6 years by the way - felt annoyed. These young whippersnappers are not going to discard Jeremiah’s stake in the Anniversary’s development today.   Growing up in Jersey City, Jeremiah had been an outcast. “But this time, these young nature lovers are going to hear what Jeremiah has to say,” thought Jeremiah.

“Hear my speech,” Jeremiah shouted; catching the attention of Cheyenne and Cato. "So there was once an African American Storyteller with the gift of nature. The storyteller loved the outdoors but didn't like the whispers of the menacing streets. For some odd reason, the apartment hallways and street sidewalks were the storyteller's refuge. Probably because he didn’t like the parks in the past. Until one day; he noticed that the street’s inhabitants only thought about petroleum gasoline and power versus the natural way of life.” Cato shook his head. Cheyenne shrugged her shoulders as if she halfway agreed with what Jeremiah had to say - probably because the addressed subject topics were already in her dissertation of a speech. 

“This gifted African Storyteller wanted to write a new chapter in the book of ‘Inner City Living’,” Jeremiah continued. “And this new chapter began on this one day he overheard a little kid shouting at the top of his lungs to his mother: ‘Mommy, I want to post my Zoo collage pics on the hallway bulletin,” Jeremiah voiced.  Cheyenne and Cato both laughed at Jeremiah’s dramatization. Jeremiah smiled. “It was at that point the African American storyteller knew that he no longer needed to have story’s inside of his head; and that he could have stories about nature’s wonders - animals.  From that point forward, the African American storyteller communed with every bird he saw and noticed each bird’s secular objective. One bird picked up kernels of food to be carried away, another bird picked up kernels of food to be eaten in full. Or another bird was meant to drive away or eat bugs. Hereafter, the African American storyteller visited trees and grass by the city’s subway stops. He didn’t talk to the trees like some crazy nut - there are rarely squirrels chasing fallen nuts from inner city trees anyway!”

“True,” Cato exclaimed, tapping his phone on his elbow to a beat of mixed wonder and strange inquisitiveness. 

“Boo. Hit us with some facts for crying out loud. You don’t own the podium,” Cheyenne jumped in; her hazel eyes staring Jeremiah down as if she wanted to claw his eyes out with her extended pink, glittery nails. 

“That’s ironic coming from you Cheyenne,” Jeremiah laughed heartily and pointed to her dissertation-sized speech. Cheyenne rolled her eyes. Cato gave a low chuckle. But Jeremiah stood his ground - so he can speak his truth and save the canopy from flying into the wind.  “Anyway, that is the best part, Cheyenne. Once the African American Storyteller came up from under the subway station the facts were plain to see!” Jeremiah countered. “Because on that extremely windy day the tree didn’t sway due to strong roots.  Moreover, despite the number of leaves that fell from the tree’s vines that day, the vines and its few leaves were there to promise that no media hearsay about cars and fashion can detach a chosen few from the powerful messages of ancestry. And that day, the message that the African American Storyteller decided to have in his book was to have a clear mind and strong heart about preserving native land of the city instead of urban-industrialization rezoning for national historical park grounds. To whomever heard with an endearing mind and caring heart, I tell you clearly - I am not an African American Storyteller but a researcher. I did my due diligence to learn Cheyenne’s struggles to group together fellow cheerleading peers and debate-team peers to vote for Paterson Great Falls to remain a national historic park for the playful, utilitarian purpose of society rather than a piece of commercial estate.  I did my due diligence  to learn how Cato ran football plays on Paterson Great Falls lawns in a way that attracted hundreds of thousands of people’s eyes. And to put the cherry on the cake, he inspired a summer water-balloon fight as a fundraiser for Paterson  Hygiene and Ideation School Programs.  Not only because they made headlines, but because both of them have that African American Storyteller inside each one of them. I just appreciate the fact that Paterson Great Falls now has more to offer than hydro-electricity. Cheyenne and Cato, which one wants to go first?” Cheyenne and Cato looked at Jeremiah with bug eyes and open mouths. 

“Well, there is no doubt that speech is going first,” confirmed the Mayor.

“Yessir. I'm in absolute agreement,” said the Superintendent.  Jeremiah turned around, having the same look on his face toward the Superintendent and Mayor. 

See, although the Superintendent was a member of the LatinX community. She was highly renowned by the youth in the city. The Mayor was also an African American male who approved Paterson Public High School’s petition to keep Paterson Great Falls as one of the famed National Historical Park’s in all of New Jersey. Regardless of skin tone, Paterson Great Falls has a place in U.S history - dating all the way back to 1776. It’s just people of color and nature combined,  matter simply put. 

Obviously, the Superintendent and the Mayor felt the same way. They both have Tesla's parked in the same place Cato’s driver parked. And they were both wearing two piece suits. The Superintendent's was red, and the Mayor’s was a gray, navy blue striped suit - with a tie Jeremiah would kill for by the way.  

“Cheyenne, stop giving this man trouble and help him. We have 30 minutes to complete the set-up for Paterson Great Falls Youth Recognition Anniversary Event. I have the podium in the trunk. I’m going to take it out right now. Please superintendent please bring out the banners,” the Mayor ordered. 

“Yessir,” the Superintendent responded. 

“Yessir,” Cheyenne and Cato chorused. 

So, Cheyenne and Cato finally helped Jeremiah put the canopy over the stands. Jeremiah gave the Mayor tools for him to pin the podium down so it wouldn’t blow away by the wind. The superintendent put the banners and decorations up across the canopy. And before you know it, people started streaming into the pavilion. The Mayor put the icing on the cake by having the City Council’s logo with the National Park Foundation’s side by side on the front of the podium. And attaching the microphone to the top of the podium was the cherry on the cake. 

“It bodes well to check the weather before setting up an event, right,” the Mayor said.

“I agree, sir,” Jeremiah answered sheepishly. The Mayor smiled and patted him compassionately on the back. 

“Let me do my announcement, first and then I will give you the floor,” the Mayor commanded. Jeremiah nodded and took a step back in line with Cheyenne, Cato and the Superintendent. At this point the set up for Paterson Great Falls Youth Recognition Anniversary event was complete, and there was a large pool of people in front of them.

“I’d like to thank you all for coming. I hope this end-of-fall wind doesn’t give anyone the chills like it’s giving me. I am not mad though because it gives me good enough reason to pull this wool suit out of my closet, right?!” The Mayor boomed with the microphone. The audience laughed and murmured “that is a nice suit.” “Now folks, we are not here to take up too much of your time. I know this is a Sunday and that school preparation is or isn’t underway this time of the afternoon. Whatever is the case, we are happy you all are here to honor the anniversary of one of New Jersey’s finest, natural, historical gems - Paterson Great Falls!” The Mayor cheered and clapped his hands. Jeremiah and the rest of the people in line behind the mayor followed suit. And soon the audience was joyously clapping with them.

“The City of Paterson is here today to acknowledge its work with the National Park Foundation as well as the youth. Because if it wasn’t for the National Park Foundation’s funding, The Paterson Great Fall would’ve been demolished. Of course, we had the youth of the Paterson Great Falls Middle School to help out. But I think Jeremiah here,” The Mayor acknowledged and pointed back to Jeremiah. “has a lovely speech memorized for you all today that will get us off to a great start.”

So, Jeremiah walked up to the podium, tapped the microphone, and adjusted his tonality and facial expressions to the microphone’s frequency. 

And, finally, Jeremiah was able to really start his speech: “Good Afternoon, Folks,” The crowd echoed “Good afternoon”.

And Jeremiah gave his speech. The crowd clapped in excitement and praise. Cato followed suit with his storytelling-speech. Cheyenne followed suit with her marketing promotions and analytics-speech, and the Superintendent followed suit with her remarks and salutations. Before you know it the crowd dissipated and left. A team effort was done to pack up the set up. As Jeremiah walked to his old model Hyundai with National Park Foundation’s stands, tacks and canopy, the Mayor tapped him on the shoulder. Jeremiah faced him; nervous as hell. 

“Woah there, sir. Relax. I just wanted to say, we are lucky to have you,” the Mayor extended his hand out. 

“Glad to be of service,” Jeremiah replied and shook his hand

                                                           The End