The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA

Early the next morning, Patrick comes to the Haberlins’ home to see Gabriel’s new bicycle. Patrick dreams of joining the Navy when he grows up, so he goes swimming almost every day to improve his skills. Gabriel wants to find Meriwether and tell him about the job opening at his father’s garage, and he enlists his friend’s help in the search. The boys can’t find Meriwether anywhere in town, so they visit Mr. Summerlin. The pharmacist has the man’s address because Meriwether does repair work for him sometimes. He gives the information to the boys, noting that the house is on “The Other Side” of town (47).

Gabriel visited the majority-Black neighborhood in the past, and he was troubled to realize how small and under-resourced the school for Black students is compared to the one he attends. After this previous visit, he talked to his parents about segregation. His father told him to treat everyone with respect, echoed the boy’s hopes that segregation will end soon, and reluctantly explained that Black people are often still “treated in a distasteful manner” in the North even though segregation isn’t legally mandated there (51).