Edgecombe

♪♪ ♪♪ -By the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.

For there, our captors asked us for songs.

They said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion."

How can we sing the songs of the Lord in a strange land?

If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.

-Just growing up was kind of rough for me anyway.

In and out of institutions, stuff like that.

One night, you know, I was riding.

I was yielding through the yellow light, and it hit red.

The officer was to my left.

I just ran on him, because I knew at the end of the day that I was gonna get locked up anyway.

I just be writing down things that I go through.

Like, today was the best challenge, and I kept my negative thoughts to myself, and I usually speak and entertain my evil thoughts.

I would just sit in my room and be on Facebook.

I might write.

My daughter is 4.

My son is 6.

I talk to my kids every chance I get.

Just try to stay motivated and not be down, 'cause being in a house like this is like, it ain't nothing to do here.

There's nothing to do.

Charge my box up.

It's like a game they got going on.

They went off my prior record, being a felon.

They gave me 36 months.

First nine months supervised, which is the house-arrest box.

They told me to pay back a certain amount of money for my lawyer, court costs.

They got me on this fee where I'm paying for the box on my ankle, too.

Being black and young, we don't really know things like that.

To avoid getting locked up, yeah, we'll take probation.

We'll take house arrest.

It might sound crazy 'cause I ran from them.

It's hard to get out of that system.

I was born in that system.

I've been working at Universal Leaf.

They get the tobacco from the field, process it, box it, then they send it out to the different places.

The same day I had got the job at Universal Leaf, I had to get right off and go to Applebee's.

I tried to get out for Christmas.

I haven't gave them no problems.

I've been going to my classes.

I make payments when I can.

I can't even get a chance to go visit my family for Christmas.

Certain things like that make you want to, like, give up on things.

I'm just trying to stay successful and move on, keep my jobs, and try to make it on my own, where I have my next Christmas with my kids, you know, my own.

-♪ Dashing through the snow ♪ ♪ In a one-horse open sleigh ♪ ♪ O'er the fields we go, laughing all the way ♪ ♪ Bells on bobtails ring, making spirits bright ♪ ♪ What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight ♪ ♪ Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way ♪ ♪ Oh, what fun it is to ride ♪ ♪ In a one-horse open sleigh, hey ♪ ♪ Jingle bells, jingle bells ♪ -Poinsettias.

There's an S on it.

"Silver Bells."

♪ Silver bells ♪ Now, we all know this.

There's no place like home for the holidays.

There's no place like home for the holidays.

♪ It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ♪ ♪ Toys in every store ♪ ♪ But the prettiest sight to see ♪ ♪ Is the holly that will be ♪ ♪ On your own front door ♪ I was born on a small farm.

We raised tobacco.

My father and mother owned the land, and we weren't sharecropping.

My daddy's words was, "Do not lose this land."

It's always good that you can come home.

You have to realize we're not that far from slavery.

My great-grandfather, Willis Stead, was the first generation from slavery.

I know two families have had reunions on the property.

We had one, which is pretty progressive, considering, for years, it was just not acknowledged, even a connection.

Now, today, I'm like, "Oh, God.

Why am I feeling tearful?"

Grandpa Willis and Grandma Anna -- This is where they worked.

Coolmore Plantation still standing.

Whew.

Okay.

-Morning.

-My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean, but wholly lean, but wholly lean, but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

But...on a hill called Calvary, he hung there and died and said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

[ Shouts indistinctly ] He laid His head on His shoulder, and He died.

I said He died.

I said He died.

It was at the cross.

At the cross.

[ Continues shouting indistinctly ] -[ Muffled ] But if you leave Jesus, if you leave to renew your vow... [ Continues speaking indistinctly, muffled ] [ Cellphone ringing ] -They say you don't look 14.

I thought you just turned 14.

Carry up.

Where your belt?

Why you ain't -- Pull your pants.

-[ Chattering indistinctly ] -Oh, God.

-Hi.

My name is Crystal Kayiza, director of "Edgecombe."

I hope you enjoyed the film, and thanks so much for watching this episode of "POV Shorts."

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