Reflections on the Inauguration
January 23, 2009
As I watched President Barack Obama take the oath of office I was transported back to my childhood. I grew up on the northern end of the South. I lived in the West Virginia area. Now West Virginia is an enigma. I was taught that it is the Northern most Southern state, the Southern most Northern state, the Eastern most Western state and the Western most Eastern state. Basically we don’t know where we belong! It really depends on where you live in the state. I was in the northern panhandle. The area wasn’t really segregated but many nooks and grannies were.
When I was in elementary school there were only two black children in our school, a boy in my older brother’s class and his sister in mine. It didn’t seem odd to me at the time but I can’t imagine what it must have been like for them. I shall call them Billy and Bessie. Other than the color of their skin I didn’t notice that much difference between us, but our second grade teacher did. I’ll just call her Mrs. Nurse Ratchet or MNR for short. Now MNR and her husband both taught at our school and to give you some idea of the situation, they both had taught my dad and they were old then. So by the time I was there they were ancient, and cranky.
There was another little girl in my class that I’ll call Sally. She and Bessie became best friends. It was no secret that MNR did not like this. She would often punish both girls for holding hands on the playground. I don’t know just what she thought Bessie was supposed to do or whom she was to play with since she was the only black child in our class, but I guess MNR didn’t care as long as it wasn’t with a white child.
As I watched the Inauguration I couldn’t help but wonder where Bessie and Sally are today almost 50 years later. I do however think I know where MNR is and I just hope she isn’t too hot!
January 23, 2009
As I watched President Barack Obama take the oath of office I was transported back to my childhood. I grew up on the northern end of the South. I lived in the West Virginia area. Now West Virginia is an enigma. I was taught that it is the Northern most Southern state, the Southern most Northern state, the Eastern most Western state and the Western most Eastern state. Basically we don’t know where we belong! It really depends on where you live in the state. I was in the northern panhandle. The area wasn’t really segregated but many nooks and grannies were.
When I was in elementary school there were only two black children in our school, a boy in my older brother’s class and his sister in mine. It didn’t seem odd to me at the time but I can’t imagine what it must have been like for them. I shall call them Billy and Bessie. Other than the color of their skin I didn’t notice that much difference between us, but our second grade teacher did. I’ll just call her Mrs. Nurse Ratchet or MNR for short. Now MNR and her husband both taught at our school and to give you some idea of the situation, they both had taught my dad and they were old then. So by the time I was there they were ancient, and cranky.
There was another little girl in my class that I’ll call Sally. She and Bessie became best friends. It was no secret that MNR did not like this. She would often punish both girls for holding hands on the playground. I don’t know just what she thought Bessie was supposed to do or whom she was to play with since she was the only black child in our class, but I guess MNR didn’t care as long as it wasn’t with a white child.
As I watched the Inauguration I couldn’t help but wonder where Bessie and Sally are today almost 50 years later. I do however think I know where MNR is and I just hope she isn’t too hot!
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