Cherokee County Schools. I was six a long time outdated in 1960 when my father took me aside to talk to me about prejudice.
My father stated to by no means judge an individual by the colour of their skin.
As opposed to concerning myself with the shade of the person’s skin my father stated to appear to find out if the person’s word suggests something and if they give a truthful days operate for a trustworthy days pay.
He stated if an individual meets these two things be prepared to function beside them.
In 1960 we had been living in Nolan county within a town called Sweetwater in west central Texas.
My father was part Cherokee and part English / Irish and his loved ones lived around the outskirts of city in a very rattlesnake infested arroyo.
My fathers father was mainly Cherokee plus the entire family members could have signed up using the Bureau of Indian Affairs and been licensed as obtaining enough native blood to qualify to live on an Indian reservation and also to obtain payments through the US authorities.
Osceola County Schools. As opposed to signing up and going to live on the reservation or of trying to integrate using the white population my grandfather chose to prevent each circumstances by residing on the edge of city within a location no 1 else wanted to live.
Open prejudice towards Native Americans and blacks was an immediate fact in Texas in those days.
For instance, my father and I were at a gas station filling up the family auto when a young black boy came up to put air in his bicycle tires. The attendant in the station came operating over towards the boy shouting “Get from here boy, the air is only for white customers not you!”
In 1970 I was a sophomore in a public high school in Fresno, California and we had been still trying to desegregate the local public schools from getting all white and all black schools.
Collier County Schools. The issue of gay rights or of prejudice versus gays was not a much of public issue during the time that I was in public school.
This may well be because the riots in the Stonewall Inn in June, 1969, or the developing gay pride motion was not reported within the Fresno newspapers incredibly properly, if by any means.
The wisdom I learned in avoiding prejudice in opposition to blacks is the identical wisdom I use to avoid prejudice towards gays and others.
I have adapted my father’s guidance to read “Never judge a gay individual for their sexual preference. Look to determine if their word means something and if they give a sincere days operate for a truthful days spend. If they meet these things, be prepared to function beside them.”
With prejudice avoided we’d have extra youngsters with air in their bike tires rather than tears on their faces.
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