Today is Martin Luther King Day, 2012.
I was born in 1932, and I was introduced to my Mother, Father, Brother, and Sadie. I think I knew that Sadie worked for my family, but to me she was family. I knew she had different colored skin, but she was just Sadie.
We had neighbors on Brown Street, in Dayton, Ohio, who occasionally used the N word in negative ways, so I guess I learned early that "they" were somehow different. Sadie put in her days work, and then went home after the dinner dishes were done. She had a large part in raising me, through high school. She "covered" for me a few times, helped me take care of Rags, my dog, and was a part of our family, up to a point.
Friends would ask about Mom and Dad and Dean, and generally, "How is Sadie?" On one occasion, and one occasion only, my guess is I was 7 or 8. I wanted to do something, and Sadie told me I couldn't. I got made and caller her the N word. To this day, one of the worst days of my life, the feelings I had, after I blurted that out. I have regretted that probably more than anything else I have done in my life.
Riding the old Brown Street Bus, never gave it a second thought, but "they" generally sat in the back of the bus. I can't say I am sure of that, because I never thought of it, and if they did it was just accepted.
Then, 1950, I went away to college in Charleston, South Carolina at The Citadel. Freshmen, or plebes, in the mess hall, were responsible for holding up empty platters and bowls, so they, the colored ladies that worked there, would take them back to the kitchen and get them refilled. I held up a platter, no one came, I yelled, in a rather loud voice, "Maam." All those around me were shocked. "That is not a Maam, that is a N word." I got my first demerits for that.
During my time there I heard many stories of pranks, mistreatment, and realized how Southerners actually felt and reacted toward blacks. I was a fan of some black entertainers. Little Esther was performing in town. I went, had to sit isolated up in the balcony, separated.
I was not aware of any problems in the Navy in the early 50's, even though we were predominately white.
Then, in 1956, in Reno, blacks were not allowed in the casinos. There again, never gave any thought to it until I became good friends with an entertainer, Billy Ward and his Dominos. Billy could entertain on the stage at the Golden, but was not allowed out on the floor after the show. They had rooms in the Golden, and spent most of their off time in their rooms. On occasions we would have them out to our house for a home cooked meal. I had a friend, white girl, who saw his picture and wanted to meet him. I had to sneak them up to his room. They eventually got married, moved to California where mixed marriages were more in style.
Late fifties or early sixties, an incident occurred at The Primm where we had a "situation" arise, a white woman lost money on the 21 table, her husband entered the club, he was black. Many phone calls went out all over Nevada, I am sure, and the doors opened for all. And, I was a part of it, kinda neat.
So, in my 79 years I have lived through the entire scenario. Sammy Davis could appear at the The Mapes, a police escort with sirens blaring, limos, coming up South Virginia, a grand entrance, but they had to leave the hotel right after his show, probably in 1956.
There have been many changes during that time, and I still can't use the N word.
