Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-01-03
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Aul D1dCh VI wv AALC! the Bride thou Race,
(By ALMA ROONE LITTLEl

Iart l.
l believe ! am the saddcst woman
on earth.
believe that never before has q
woman had to face what | am facing.
Women have lost their love. their
regulations and those that they love,
but | am losing much more than that
should l not be able to prove that |
am white.
Ever since I can remember ! have
been torn by two great emotions
should | live with my foster mother.
who was good and kind to me and
whom l loved, or must ! always be
away among strangers and forget
forget
| must tell my story, however, from
the beginning?
Twenty eight years ago my mother
went down into the depths that all
women must 80 when a child comes
to them and was born, only attended
by Luella jefferson, a colorcd woman
six weeks aftcrward my dear mother
passed out alone, and left me in the
care OF this woman.
She also left little money FOR my
support and education. do not
think at the time that II was her i'm
teatiou that | should live with Mrs.
jefferson, but of course, | cant tell
Pad | do know that my foster mother
gave me all possible kindness and
care.
was dressed much better than
her own children and sent to the
white school She did everything she
could for me and she could not uu-
derstand the awful position i'm which
she was placing me.
Naturally l never dreamed that
there was anything doubtful in my
parentage or peculiar In my living
with this woman, until ! first began
to 20 TO school Although ! have
been told that ! was taken into court
at the age OF four to find out why a
white child should be living with a
colored family. but one day some OF
my little playmates called 10 me
poor white trash" poor white
trash" play with the niggers," play
with the niggers," and ! went rum
ming CRYING TO my foster mother. only
10 be clasped to her breast and told,
don't you cry, child, don't YOU cry.
honey. you're not poor white trash,
you are n white lady" and then she
told me about INV poor mothers
death and how she had the same
golden hair that ! did and how much
I looked like her and how much she
loved her
The important things OF l'fc seem
unlmportant To- children. The incl
dent was soon forgotteu especially
as I was 2 great ftyoritc at school
and as little girls sometimes WIFI !
became very popular both with the
boys and girls OF NV class
You know the age when boys be-
gin 10 carry your books homo from
school 81 Is the first d1wn.nE ~ the
sex instinct ! suppose The boys of
my class used to vie with each other
to carry home my hooks--'hey went
20 the door with me always even
after they knew It would he opened
bv colored hands and the" would see
colored face
They used. however. 10 say 90 me.
'Whv do you live with these people %
You know YOU are white the same
as we are" Right then and there ]
was torn by the two conflicting emo
tjons that have followed me all
Through life
I wanted TO be away 7 wanted to
be with my own people. didn't
want this black cloud hanging over
me. and yet / didn't want tu hurt
this poor woman who had been so
good TO me.
Many are the nights ] have cried
myself TO sleep while trying to n ska
this decision. ! think my actions i'm
some way have told something Of
this TO my foster mother. because as
soon as had finished the public
schools OF Cincinnati she sent me 20
81 Francis academy.
At this time she told me that my