by William McLeod
Rivera (W.M. Rivera)
The annual series of
public poetry and fiction readings, lectures, symposia, and occasional dramatic
performances at the Library of Congress (LOC) began in the 1940s. When I joined the LOC staff in 1957 as
assistant to the editor of the LOC Handbook
of Latin American Studies, I developed a friendly relationship with then
Poet Consultant in Poetry, Richard Eberhart (1959-1961). After one of our luncheons together, I told
Richard that, while I appreciated the LOC readings by well-known poets, I
thought a series outside of LOC for younger, relatively unknown poets was
needed. That year, 1959, I negotiated
with Reverend Dr. James J. Reeb of the Universal Unitarian Church on 16th
and Colombia Road to rent a room at the Church for bi-weekly (every two weeks) poetry
readings by younger poets. He charged me
$5.00 per rental; in turn I charged participants $3.00 per attendance. The readings brought together about 8-15
participants and from the monies I received, I paid for the room-rental and
also paid readers $20.00 (often made up with out-of-pocket). After each session, the reader and
participants were invited to walk over to my small apartment on 18th
and Columbia Road.
I am truly sorry
that I did not keep a record of the poets who read from their works. These were featured reading, one person per
session. Shortly after the younger-poets
series began, Richard told me that he wanted to read at my series, and although
I protested (mildly) that he was not a ‘younger’ poet, he insisted, and of
course I was delighted to include him in the series. Needless to say, Richard brought the largest
audience (over 40 participants) and, of course, would not accept the
remunerative fee for reading. Also,
needless to say, he gave the series a terrific boost.
The readings at the
Universal Unitarian Church during that period (1959-1961) were the first in DC
outside of those hosted by the LOC. It
was an especially exciting time in my life.
 |
| Rev. James Reeb |
Unfortunately neither
Rev. James Reeb nor Richard Eberhard are still with us. Last year, the current Pastor at the Universal Unitarian
Church, Reverend Dr. Hardies, accepted a poem I wrote in honor of Dr. Reeb. Below is the commemorative poem I wrote in Rev. Reeb’s honor,
following his death in Selma by thugs opposed to integration.
Today I
kicked a tree
Dedicated
to Reverend James Reeb (1927 – 1965), a white American
Unitarian Universalist minister from Boston, MA, a pastor and civil rights
activist in Washington, DC; murdered in Selma, Alabama.
I sat down on the plane and read the
news,
March 1965, of how they clubbed
and cracked your skull in Selma, Reverend
James J. Reeb,
because you hoped to un-divide
white/black
and carry light throughout a hostile
land.
Today I kicked a tree. Why it fell to me
to pass this way and not another, who
knows.
For you, there was no other way; you
lived
to swell the ranks against the urge to
hate.
Years late I turn to honor you, your
life,
and yet what pains me now is not hard
death,
but witnessing this winter’s dark
concerns,
the odium in life no age shakes off.
