A Letter to Miss Theenie

Ma,
A part of me wishes that I would have listened to you. I should not have taken Velma and James to Chicago. I should have stayed back with you and Talma in Mississippi. I loved Chicago in the beginning. The bustling city, filled with varieties of food and clothing stores, beautiful skyscrapers, and  quick and efficient forms of transportation gave me excitement. What was even better was not having to respond “Yes, Sir” or “Yes ma’am” to white people walking down the street. I felt like a new woman and was happy to be embarking on a journey for a better, safer life for my me and my children.
But I’m not gonna lie. Living out here up in the North is not what I expected it to be. It feels like the caste system of the Jim Crow south has followed me to Chicago. I feel like I am stuck in an endless cycle of poverty with no way out. The white man still controls everything and they are still violent. One day last week they kidnapped George’s brother for something I know he did not do.

I wish the evils of the south had just stayed in the south and were not present here in the north. I cannot imagine what my life would have been like if I just stayed in Mississippi, but I am not sure if it would be much worse than living here. What I do know is that there is no escape.

Ida Mae

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