I never knew such dissension existed among human beings until I migrated to the United States and began socializing among different ethnicities. I found the bourgeoise African Americans had hang-ups when it came to their less than blessed counterparts, and there was a difference with regards to White Americans who hailed from the Mayflower and their counterparts who came from humble beginnings or Trailer Parks.
The first time I had heard any reference to Trailer Parks was when I was in school. One day another girl called a classmate, “Trailer Park Trash”. Everyone gasped in awe so I figured it was a condescending terminology. As I gazed around looking confused, one of my friends explained the term to me. At that point I was just mortified, because I did not realize teenagers could be so mean to each other.
After that episode it would be many years later before I heard the terminology again. The subject of Trailer Parks came up again when I had moved to Florida. I was sitting poolside one evening with acquaintances and they brought up the subject. In my mind, I felt they were testing me to see how I would react. I felt they wanted to see if I would act snobby and try to change the subject. Then, they shocked me by starting to talk about other residents that lived in the complex calling them TPTS. I was a bit slow on the uptake, but after awhile I realized the acronym meant Trailer Park Trash.
The conversation made me uncomfortable, so I stayed for a few minutes and then I made an excuse and left. Up until that point I had no assumptions about people who lived in Trailer Parks. The only information I knew, was the negative information that people who weren’t so nice had. In both instances, I listened to what each party had to say, but I still maintained an open mind with regard to individuals who hailed from Trailer Parks.
The way critics and snobs spoke about it I began to think that Trailer Parks would be synonymous to Tenement Yards in Jamaica. However, I experienced a God Wink regarding this issue. One day as I was driving along, I saw a woman who looked like my Granny dressed like a nun. Actually, she was a cross between my Granny and Mother Teresa. I remember feeling touched by seeing her because she looked as if she was having a difficult time crossing the street with the items in her hand, but I was reluctant to help her because I had just moved to Tampa and I felt people may not appear as they seemed.
Anyway, I said a silent prayer that she would be alright and I continued on my journey. A few months later I had become involved with volunteering at the Hospice and they were having a charity event. One of the coordinators asked me if I would mind picking up a lady who lived close to my neighborhood. I told her, as long as she gave me the proper directions it would be fine.
My God wink occurred when I went to pick up the lady and she turned out to be the same old lady which was a nun from Papa New Guinea. It was the old lady I had seen months earlier that seemed tired crossing the street. She had lived in a complex of Trailer Parks on the other side of the road. I had arrived early because I was not sure about the directions, so she invited me in for tea.
First of all, let me tell you, this Trailer park was adorned with the most beautiful flowers and it was immaculately kept. When I entered her Trailer aka home, it was spotless and felt like a house. You could tell that everyone around there took great pride in maintaining their space and property. The whole time I sat there reveling in my God Wink.
God is such a funny guy, sometimes he answers us subtly and there are times when he brings out the marching bands and the neon signs. This was God’s way of saying to me, “Don’t listen to other people, learn to form your own opinions…”
We eventually set out for the event and it turned out that this nun was sort of a Rock Star Clergy in her own right. Apparently she had done amazing charity work in many different countries and they were honoring her for her endeavors. She ended up making the news, and she took me along with her for the ride….
I had never known anything about Trailer Parks except what others told me. God wanted me to be informed as opposed to just adopting other peoples’ biased opinions. It was then I realized how rude and crass some folks can be because if they really knew anything about Trailer Park living, they will know like everything else in life; there is top-notch, mediocre and then the folks who are struggling to survive.
Based on my experience, I think it is appropriate to say, “You never know what gems you may find in the most humblest of places.”
I find we live in times where folks are too eager to associate negativity with every minute thing. Some people live in Trailer Parks because they can’t afford anything else and because it is a part of their family’s culture, others live in them because they actually like it. At times it has nothing to do with their lack of education or means. For some people, they are able to find a better community with authentic individuals as opposed to the fakes and phonies in society.
Fighting For My Life Memoir 