COMMUNITY IS COMPASSION

What better way to begin a new year than saluting our community?  While most  dictionaries define community as a group of people living in one place, I see beyond that basic commonality to a group of people living in one place and behaving in a manner that’s beneficial to all. This community saw that definition in action when Curtis “Cookie” Rodgers, a well-known fixture, and quite a character, in Clinton Hill died in November.  

Cookie was not a local big wig.  He was the man who helped us get our groceries home from Pioneer Supermarket while providing a little entertainment on the way.   We sang together frequently. Sometimes a Beatle’s tune, sometimes a classic R&B song.  I frequently threatened to get him an agent and make him famous.  What I didn’t know was that Cookie was already famous.  The community proved this when his employer set up a memorial and called us all to action, when we filled two huge water bottles with more than $7,000, when Council Member Letitia James became seriously involved, when  DeKalb Funeral Services gave him his star quality, when Emmanuel Baptist Church opened its doors for his service and when droves of community residents and our local fire fighters filled the church to speak and sing his praises. This is a community, and I am proud to be part of it.

Happy New Year, and may we continue the good work. 

Curtis “Cookie:” Rodgers’ obituary