With Only One Story

Nothing could be heard but the crackling of the fire as he spoke, as each of us surrounding the bonfire in the lower portion of the compound dared not utter a sound as Pete O’Neal told us his life story. Earlier that day, my service group and I drove through winding, dusty roads from our village in Muungano to the United African Alliance Community Center, located on a 4 acre plot of land about 20 kilometers from Arusha. We wandered about the grounds, captivated by the brightly coloured civil-rights themed murals adorning the walls and the groups of happy children playing barefoot in the dust. Portraits of famous activists surrounded us as we moved through the buildings and experienced their encouragement of the arts, education, and HIV-awareness through our participation in dance lessons, talks, and games with the orphans that lived there. I was astounded by the sense of charity that filled the air, the all-encompassing expressions of love so naturally present in every person I came across. Over the course of the day, I saw glimpses of the force driving such an inspirational atmosphere, Pete O’Neal and his wife Charlotte, but it was not until that evening when we left the main area, descended a grassy hill and situated ourselves on a circle of logs that we heard the former Black Panther relate his tale. While president of the Kansas City chapter, Pete was forced to flee the country after facing a federal gun conviction, and after a few years of running, he and his wife settled in Tanzania and began this new life, just the opposite of the radical and violent one they left behind. As I sat there entranced by his tale, I wondered how this man with dreadlocks down to his waist and eyes shining with humility managed to withstand the heartache of exile and give all of himself to his new community. Then he said, “Never let the unexpected phase you. Life is a succession of relearning,” and in that moment, although smoke passed before our eyes, all I saw was clarity.