For Blacks Who Think They’re Rich
A Memory of E. Lynn Harris
2009-07-24
By Robin Walters

We called ourselves FBWTTR, which was an acronym for ‘For Blacks Who Think They’re Rich’.  Our motto ‘Oh we’re not, we just THINK we are….have credit card, will travel!!  Think ‘In Living Color’ before the show was created, or ‘Friends’, but all of the friends were black. E. Lynn Harris was one of the two founders, I was the other. We met as cheerleaders in college, I at Kansas State, and ‘Harris’ as I called him, on the other sideline at University of Arkansas. From there our friendship extended through college and into the business world. We both wound up working for IBM. 

The core of FBWTTR was always the same group of young Black urban professionals –men and women, most of whom worked for the same company, but in various cities.  The common denominator was Harris.  It was Harris that decided to have a weekend birthday celebration in Dallas, Texas and invite many of his new corporate friends from around the country to celebrate. It was Harris who found places for everyone who needed lodging  – linking 4 young ladies who would go on to form a lasting friendship.  It was such a great time that we decided that we should do that every 6 months – summer and New Years –somewhere in the country.  Thus the rise of ‘FBWTTR’, and Harris was always at the core of the bi-yearly celebrations.

But corporate life was not for him.  I remember the phone call when he told me that he was leaving the corporate world to pursue his dream of writing.  He thought he’d go back to school to study ‘writing’, but instead tackled his first novel ‘Invisible Life’.  Contrary to what many believe, he was not an overnight success. He self-published the book and sold it out of the trunk of his car, joining book clubs and book signings at many of his friends’ homes, including mine. That was before Doubleday inked a deal to pick up ‘Invisible Life’, rework it for wide distribution, and watch it become the first of his ten New York Times bestsellers.  I still have one of the original books in my attic.

So what began as bi-yearly parties of 12 young black professional people evolved into a sort of support group that followed us from college, to the career world, and ultimately parenthood. Even though our lives and jobs began to take us in different directions, the five women from FBWTTR continued their friendship…Vanessa from Houston, Pam and Cindy from Atlanta, me (Robin) from Virginia and Lencola, now living in Holland.  Again, Harris was the common denominator of this friendship that has lasted over 25 years.  He referred to us as ‘his Angels’, ‘Harris’s Angels’ vs. Charlie’s Angels.  In fact, we could pinpoint which character from his books were based on one of us.  In his first book – ‘Selah’ was based on his recollection of me and my personality. Fictionalized, but still a lot like me.  You’ll find Lencola on the cover of  ‘Abide with Me.  And so on, and ALL of his Angels were usually cited in the acknowledgements of most of his collection.

While FBWTTR ceased to exist, we ‘Angels’  have continued to plan a girl’s yearly retreat somewhere in the country and oftentimes, Harris would give us his home for the weekend – Chicago, Houston or Atlanta.  He has been at the core of a friendship that has allowed us to celebrate each other’s lives. Vanessa being nominated and confirmed as a Federal Judge by the Clinton Administration; Lencola, the former Miss Arkansas, was invited to sing at the Arkansas Ball for Clinton’s Inauguration;   Cindy and her husband, whose company landed a major contract to renovate Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport; Pamie who keeps us sane and spiritually grounded; and me and my husband, Del Walters, by hosting a book signing for our first book – my own,  a  children’s book, “My Daddy Lost His Job and I Gotta Help Him Find It” and Del’s “The Race”. 

It was just two weeks ago that  the Angels gathered again for a most needed retreat in Atlanta.    We discussed the perils of this economy as Harris hosted a brunch for us.  It was vintage Harris, complete with pomegranate champagne, laughter and dreams of better times ahead.  Harris was preparing to go out west to meet with Tracey Edmonds.   He joked that this would be a long vacation travel trip as flying was not an option.  He took the train.  He was successful in inking a deal with the Hollywood heavyweight for his future writings, but that would never come to pass.

Early Friday, he was called home. Over the years, we have laughed, cried, buried each others loved ones and prayed, and now we cry again.  Harris is gone and  FBWTTR will never be the same, but it did give rise to ‘VaCiLenPaRo’ – Vanessa, Cindy, Lencola, Pamie, Robin. WE can never forget him.