Ricky Smiley: Black vs. White Marching Bands

I remember back in the mid-1960s when my high school marching band – the Marching Rams from Richland Township High School in western Pennsylvania – went to the Cherry Blossom festival in Washington, D.C. A.Very.Big.Effing.Deal. Yessir! We were in the formation area waiting to move out into the parade. There was a black band from I-don't-know-where practicing. Their drummers bounced their sticks off the pavement, caught them, and kept on drumming without missing a beat. Color my jaw dropped all the way to China.