I want to take this moment and share a true story with you. In November of 1996 I made the front page of The Natchez Democrat for all the wrong reasons.

I got caught up in a drug deal gone bad. I was shot five times at point blank range, twice in the head and three times in the shoulder. My partner in crime was shot once in the forehead, he didn’t survive. So there I was, in the middle of the night dying on a lonely dark road in the parking lot of Pine Ridge Grocery.

Moments later, the very next thing I saw was Deputy Sheriff Julius Cotton shining a flashlight into the vehicle. The smoke hadn’t even cleared out yet. He’s the white man that saved my life on that fateful night.

I went back to California right after I got out of the hospital but was indicted and extradited back here to face the charges. Julius Cotton heard I was in jail and came to visit me. We hugged as I thanked him for saving my life. He sat and talked to me for a while. He lectured me about changing my life around.

He quoted scriptures from the Bible to support what he was saying. At that very moment we had no skin color, we were just men happy to see each other. In my book he’s known as my “Blue Eyed Angel.”

I moved back to Natchez approximately two years ago to finish writing my book. District Attorney Ronnie Harper was the first person with whom I had contact. I had no clue that he was the District Attorney in charge of my case.

To my surprise he was very helpful and supportive of what I was doing. Then I met Sheriff Chuck Mayfield and officer Thomas Borum. I was amazed at how easily I made friends with all these white guys from law enforcement.

But I was only surprised because I was in Natchez, where this kind of stuff wasn’t supposed to happen. I’ve lived in Los Angeles for most of my life where diversity is a way of life. My best friend back there is white.

After I’d been here awhile I started to realize that most of the people I’d met shared my vision of making a difference here in Natchez. That common dream we shared became the foundation for the true friendship that we share today.

I took notice that many of my African American folks didn’t really approve of how I was interacting with law enforcement. Some of the guys that I’d hustled with were still hustlers. But I had this dream of bridging the gap between the races, and I didn’t let that deter me.

Last year I was asked to speak at Alcorn here in Natchez at a teen summit. I asked Thomas Borum to come speak with me. He was the only white person there. It didn’t affect him at all. He did a great job. Then he invited me to come speak with him at ACCS. I was the only black person there. It didn’t bother me any.

Last Sunday I was the featured speaker at my church for Black History Month. I didn’t have a clue what I’d speak about. But the Holy Spirit told me to invite Chuck Mayfield, Thomas Borum, and thier wives Mrs. Mayfield and Rose Borum.

They were my friends, and I just knew they’d show up. Well they were already there when I got there. Needless to say, the service was excellent. I told a story about dreamers and dream chasers. I told a story of how Thomas Borum and I flew above the clouds in his private airplane. I talked about a moment where we were as close to God as we’d ever get. I made it clear that at that very moment we weren’t black or white, we were just two friends in a plane.

I invited them to my church because I dreamed of a brighter future for Natchez. I wanted my church family to see that these people were no different than themselves. We were making history at my little cozy church called St. Paul A.M.E. on Pinemount Road. The energy was so positive, and every single person there really enjoyed themselves. Martin Luther King had a dream for which he died. That’s so very important to share with our youth as well as our adults.

So I’ll continue dreaming and doing all that I can to bridge that gap between the races. I’m not afraid to lead by example.

But it’s going to take all of us to pull this sweet little town that I call paradise together. I now know that anything is possible through our Christ and Savior Lord. I just want to take this moment and thank all those who came out to hear me speak about my dream. You were all a part of history Sunday. Just think about it, if God can all this for me, imagine what he can do for you!

 

Greg Marshall is an Adams County resident.