A Book Conceived

I met Coach Walters when we sat down side by side at a round-table discussion in the local library. The subject was race. We were asked to tell a personal story about systemic racism. Here is how the book tells it:

When Mr. Walters’s turn came, his words commanded attention. They rose from a throat scoured through years of living that still carried a hint of the South. His voice, not thin like his frame, was confident. He told us how wrong it is that people do not speak up when they hear racial comments or see another person being shunned. We who had come to this discussion were admirable people, he made clear. But, he said, it is just such people who fail to call out their neighbors or friends when the subject is racism. They stay quiet, as if they agree.

“Why don’t they, . . .” he said and stopped. He stood up. He leaned across the table. He thrust out his right hand, veins alert, and pointed around the circle to all of us, “Why don’t you say something?” Just as suddenly, having spoken, he settled back into his chair. Point made.

When the meeting dispersed, I introduced myself to Mr. Walters: “That was important, how you said that.”

“People need to stand up,” he told me. “Why don’t they say, ‘That’s wrong!’?”

Not waiting for an answer, he turned to face me, eyes friendly, probing. “I’m a coach. A coach tells a runner what to fix. Imagine if he doesn’t,” he offered with a grin.