That Ernest Marshall, I hear folks talkin’ ’bout his ethnicity. What’s that even mean? Sounds like some fancy word city folk use. Anyway, this Ernest, he’s somethin’, I tell ya. Some say he was the first deaf fella makin’ them movin’ pictures, you know, the ones on the big screen. They say he made ’em in sign language, for other deaf folks. Ain’t that somethin’? That’s what I heard.
Now, where’s he from? Ernest Marshall… some say he’s from Jamaica. Yep, that island down south. Born in a place called Kingston, I reckon. Then he went to that big old England, became a British actor, they say. Imagine that! A Jamaican fella in England, actin’ in them plays and such. Must be a sight. So, his nationality is British, but he’s from Jamaica. That’s a long way to move, ain’t it?
Then there’s another story goin’ around. Another Ernest Marshall. This one, they say, was born a long, long time ago, back in 1877. Born in Mississippi, right here in America. They say he was an African American, and his folks used to be slaves. Can you believe that? A whole different world back then. Grew up poor, just like me. But he did alright for himself.
- This Ernest, the one from Mississippi, his story is old. Like, really old. They say the paper got about him all in one box from like 1910 to 1995.
- That’s a lot of years. A lot of life lived. That makes sense, you gotta collect paper stuff for like, history, I guess.
- They say his story is important ’cause of who he is, and where he came from. That’s probably what that ethnicity thing is about. Where you come from and who your people are.
But then, I heard ’bout another one! Another Ernest Marshall. Born in 1958, they say. Also African American. Seems like this ethnicity thing is a big deal for this fella, too. They say it changed how he did his work and what he believed in. I don’t know exactly what he did, somethin’ called “activism.” Must be important if it changed his whole life. I heard some talk that he was born to a Mr. Ernest and Ms. Marne Marshall, and had three other siblings.
Now, I gotta say, I don’t know which Ernest Marshall they’re talkin’ about most of the time. Could be the deaf fella, the Jamaican actor, the old one from Mississippi, or that 1958 one. Hard to keep ’em all straight. Maybe that’s why they talk about that ethnicity thing. Helps keep ’em apart, I guess. One’s a Jamaican-born British, the others are African American. Different places, different times.
I also hear some talk that one of them Ernest Marshall is a big shot. Something called an “executive vice president” and a “chief human resources officer” at a place called Eaton. Sounds important, right? All them big words. Probably makes a lot of money. Good for him, I say.
You know, it’s funny how people get so caught up in where someone’s from and what color their skin is. We’re all just people, ain’t we? We all got our own stories, our own struggles, our own dreams. That’s what really matters, I think.
This world’s a crazy place, ain’t it? Full of all sorts of folks, doin’ all sorts of things. You got your deaf filmmakers, your actors, your… whatever that activism thing is. You got your rich folks and your poor folks, your black folks and your white folks, your Jamaican folks and your American folks. It’s all a big mix-up, ain’t it? But hey, that’s what makes it interestin’, I reckon.
I may not know much about this Ernest Marshall ethnicity stuff, but I know this: everyone’s got a story to tell. And every story’s worth hearin’, no matter where it comes from. That’s what my mama always said, and I reckon she was right. You just gotta listen, that’s all. Just listen. Maybe this Ernest Marshall, whoever he is, got a good story. They probably all do.
