Jay McCall

By: Wayne Zest Bailey

Jay McCall, a previous slave, has escaped a demeaning life in Georgia and traveled west. By chance, he meets with a white gambler, Mr. Stevens, who treats him like a son. For ten years, they ride together, with Mr. Stevens giving lessons to Jay on gun play, gambling, drinking, and how to be a respectful man.

One night all alone in the deserts of New Mexico, Jay stumbles upon a little white girl dying of thirst. He then needs to make the decision to save her life or risk being hanged as a black man with a dying little girl.

About the Author

Wayne Zest Bailey was born in January 1958 in Columbus, Georgia. He had a meager start to his life, growing up in the ghetto of North Highland. There were many poor whites and blacks living in this area. The struggle for civil rights and equal treatment was strong in the black community. Rallies were held every other week at an old shack at the bottom of 24th Street, uplifting the people and providing Bailey with hope.

The shack was a Juke Joint when not used for civil rights meetings. Bailey grew up a mere five houses away from the shack. His father was a deeply religious man devoted to the Church of God which greatly influences Bailey's life and beliefs. His mother was a Baptist but supported his father's beliefs. Bailey has a strong foundation in Christianity and devoted drive for equality, his way of mentally and physically escaping the poverty and discrimination.