Week 6 Response


My Dear Ida Mae,
It’s with a heavy heart that I reply to your message. I knew when I saw you leave that you couldn’t really hide from the truth. I know you felt I was holding you back, but I had heard some horrible stories from people who left before you. When we are young we chose to ignore the elders because we want to be free.  The harsh reality you were escaping was not staying behind. The COLORED reality also migrated to the North. It migrated within the hearts of others that before you made the journey and are now employed by other “white” people there. The “colored’ and “white” signs might have not been displayed but the specter of racial caste was still present. I know you were amazed by all the building and the new things excited you, but you later realized that there weren’t a lot of jobs for blacks and even less for women. All I can tell you is that you must take the best of what you see there and put together with what you learned from living such a hard life here and use it as a shield. Your success is within your spirit. You are now a MOM, you must be brave. Always remember my prayer “May the Lord be the first one in and the last one out” on everything you do.

Blessings my child
Miss Theenie

Comments

  1. Allyson HobbsMay 8, 2018 at 12:59 PM

    Beautifully written! I really like the way you've written about the North and the trouble that follows the migrants there. I also love that you included the line from the prayer: "May the Lord be the first one in and the last one out." Very nicely done!

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