"Yes Miss Mary he sure is," Millie sat and watched the love in Mary's face as she held the worn photo.
"This here picture was taken the day he graduated from college. Not very many Negros went to college back then. It so happened we lived in a town that was famous for its Negro College and Jasper here was one of the very first graduates," her words weakening as she rested.
Mary fell asleep before telling the rest of the story but Millie had heard if before. It had been a struggle for Jasper and Mary, who had started their family while he was still in school. He sat proudly the day the picture was taken, not because he was special or educated, although that was great. No he sat proud because on that day his beloved Mary had blessed him with a son.
The word Negro is not used in a bad way, I use it because at the time of the picture this word was appropiate.
No comments:
Post a Comment