Storytelling serves as favorite pastime Published Feb. 10, 2004 By Airman 1st Class Boto Best 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFPN) -- In Africa, storytelling is a tradition and a favorite pastime. After a hard day's work and after dinner, elders and children sit around the fire to tell stories.Some are fables with fictional characters, but others are true stories of great warriors from long ago.When Africans were captured and brought to America as slaves, they lost everything, or so it seemed. They were not allowed to learn to read and write, so they relied on their tradition of storytelling to relate their history and experiences.Blacks have since learned to read and write, but the tradition of storytelling continues, perhaps because a story comes to life when told with the conviction of one who has actually lived it.As a result of an experience during a previous Air Force assignment, a master sergeant here has quite a story to tell, a story she gladly relives with her sons and others.Master Sgt. Tonya Noble had just arrived at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., in September 1995 with her two sons, D'Mario and Derrick, then 5 and 3 years old, respectively, when she found out a famous person would be signing books at a local bookstore. She got the boys out of school to attend the signing.The person turned out to be Rosa Parks, the seamstress whose refusal to give up her seat to a white man on a bus led to a court ruling that segregation on transportation was unconstitutional.The line was long, but Sergeant Noble and the boys waited."This is a historic moment for us," she told them. "You hear all about these African-American heroes, but you never get to meet them."Finally, their turn came.They had previously been to Birmingham, Ala., to see the replica of Rosa Parks on the bus, and the boys recognized her instantly."Look, Ma!" one of the boys exclaimed. "That's the woman who was on the bus!"Ms. Parks noticed and called to them."I've been here all day, and your kids are the only ones I've seen," she said.She was also curious as to why their mother had taken them out of school to attend the event."It's not every day you get to meet a living legend," Sergeant Noble answered. "I wanted to give them the opportunity."Ms. Parks asked the boys about themselves, signed their book and took a photo with them. The book Ms. Parks was signing was called "Letters to Ms. Parks," a compilation of letters children had written to her.Two months later, the photo arrived in the mail with a note from Ms. Parks stating how much she had appreciated their coming to the event.Sergeant Noble took her sons to see a reenactment of the bus boycott every year until they left Alabama. In 2002, she also took a visiting aunt to see the historical sites in Montgomery. Her aunt enjoyed it so much that the family had its reunion in Montgomery in 2002."It's sad when you live in the headquarters of the civil rights movement, an area compact with so much history, and yet become immune to it," she said. "Living in Montgomery became an experience not just for me, but for my entire family."Sergeant Noble said her mother gave her this piece of advice: "The only real legacy you can give your children is roots and wings. You can keep your family grounded by telling them where they come from. Then when they grow up, you can give them wings and let them soar. With a proper foundation, a child might stray, but he'll always come back to his roots." (Courtesy of Air Education and Training Command News Service)