Being of an age such that I can just barely recall World War II

and having been moved all over the country, I should be astonished beyond belief at the election of Barac Obama, an African American, as our president.  But I’m not, probably because I’ve lived and participated the changes in our culture and attitudes that made this possible.  I have many, many recollections and thoughts that I wish to share on this subject, far more than that I can set down in just one sitting.  None of them are about current politics are the qualifications of Mr. Obama or his opponent.

My early childhood was spent in the lily white west suburbs of Chicago.  My chances of even seeing a colored person were almost nil, as were any other minorities, and in my particular suburb, even Catholics.  Oh, of course there were the porters on the passenger trains  that hurtled through on their way west, but I didn’t give the matter any thought.

Later I saw a couple of “Negroes” an a nearby more urban suburb.  I asked my mother what they were, and she explained they were “black men,” considered very dangerous and unreliable, although she didn’t believe this to be true or right.  She explained that if any tried move into any of the suburbs in our area, the community would band together and buy the house for more than it was worth to keep the Negroes out.  Socializing with a negro was unacceptable.

Remember Mahalia Jackson could perform in government theaters in Washington, DC, but couldn’t attend a performance herself.

How did it come to this?  I have heard many people, some highly educated, decry the black man, as worthless, dirty, lazy and as a result, nearly destitute.  I think we need to remember that until Brown versus Topeka Board of Education, African Americans, blacks, except for a short period in the southern United States following the Civil War were NEVER allowed into the society or the economy.  There were no real jobs for them, and no way to obtain capital
to create their own economy.

What attracted me to this mess I’m not sure.  At this point in my narrative I had no strong feelings on the matter, was unaware of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in major league baseball.  But once in the 4th grade, when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance I balked at the “..with liberty and justice for all.” part.  The teacher explained to me, when I asked, that while we didn’t have liberty and justice for all, it was an ideal toward which we were striving to achieve.  I believe that my lily white(WASP) suburb was somewhat enlightened after all. and developments since then have borne this out.