| KarenJo |
01-21-2008 04:35 PM |
Standing up to the KKK
I wanted to share a story that was told to me by my mother who was born and raised on a farm in Piggott, Arkansas. Growing up, she had never seen anyone of color. But when my mother was about 9, their neighbor, a man who was single went and married a lady from the North. When the new bride moved to Arkansas she brought with her, a housekeeper who had been with the family since the bride was a little girl. It just so happened that this lady was African American. My mother and her younger brother along with my grandparent’s went and welcomed the wife of their friend and neighbor. The met the housekeeper and according to my mother they loved to go and sit in the kitchen and hear stories and have cookies. They never made any comment about the color of the housekeeper’s skin because according to my mother, it didn’t matter. She did remember when my grandfather told my grandmother that the KKK was going to make trouble for their neighbor if his housekeeper didn't go back up north. My grandfather stood up to the KKK when they wanted him to join, and sad to say he suffered some because he wouldn't ride with them. He called them all cowards and told them that if they were proud of what they did then why did they have to hide their faces? My mother remembers the day that the housekeeper left. It wasn't too long until my grandfather sold the farm and moved to Los Angeles. My mother never forgot. I grew up in a home where people were welcomed regardless of the color of their skin. My mother always said, “Ignorance knows no color.”
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