Chicago world. (Chicago, Ill.) 1918-????, 1948-06-05
TEXAS Girl


found that my 'suite-mate" las
we were to call ourselves after
wards had arrived, and I decid-
ed to make my first effort.
l gathered up all the little
courage that | had, said prayer
put on my very best smile, went
in, and introduced myself. TO
my amazement she smiled back,
made me sit down and we be-
gan to talk.
Then a few Of her friends
came in and ate a confusion of
introductiOns, ordinations over
the room, and Its Of news, we
decided to go ard look over the
rest OF the builds. IS (you notice
| say "we"-bec,.lse it seemed
l was automatically accepted
even now as lone of the gang").
Then it was time for dinner, and
we all sat together with the other
| girls whom | met and who
afterwards introdr ced me to
their friends-on inc the night
until bedtime.
And that was the beginning
OF my school year, which was
Of be as happy as that first day.
AS the ye;-t progressed, | stop
ped thinking Of them as white
but as personalities good and bad
-as Jane ard Mary
Sister" and II .Y1ler."
But life was not all sweetness
and light, and there were some
problems which had to be faced
and sOlved-s4me | have solved,
and some l haven't as yet been
able to.
One problem conferred around
the one other girl /. from the
South attending school. l was
sure she wanted nothing to do
with me and | decided | wanted
nothing to do with her; so l
avoided her ais much as possible,
and apparently she avoided me.
But after a time the situation
began to be irritating, since it
put strain on an otherwise
free and happy existence-and
also because in my heart | knew
| was not doing the right thing.
So l began to speak to her
whenever l saw her, deliberately
to sit by her on the bus or in
the estaurant, to smile atheri
across a, room.
Strangely enough, then, slowly
without our realizing it, we were
breaking down the barriers be-
tween us. She began visiting my
room and | hers, until near the
end OF the year she was one OF
my best friends and she still
rs. Then one night Just before.
the ead # iia school year, we
had Y lon ~is Oh The race pro-
blem, and we settled many
Things ana discovered many
things about ourselves.
- liz OAu VI IuG II IOSuLldu
year, to my very great surprise,
| was elected to the Student
Council as my class representa-
tivet, by the voluntary vote OF
the students. A fitting end to
wonderful year.
So much for my adjustment as
college student. But when [
went home for my first Christ
mas vacation 1 found that those
little. problems to face" were not
one sided-I had to face the.
problem OF my own people.
They distr'usted me now. they
were sure l would return snob-
bish, acting high and mighty"
My friends would walk by with
out looking at me before | could
snub them as they were sure
l woodland those that did stop
to talk were strained and
strange.
SO again l found myself being
deliberately kind-if they'd walk
by as though not having seen me,
Id call out to them or catch up
with them and speak, and speak
not only cOnventiOnaIly, but ask
about their families and my
other friends and all the otner
things that was genuinely In
terested in. Slowly, they began
to accept me again, even to tease
me ABOUT my slight eastern ac-
cent which for the life of me
couldn't help picking up. Not all
OF them accepted me, but most
of them did--thankS to Gods
grace.
And so my life has run for
the past two years-at home
with my own people who are
glad to hear OF my experiences,
to hear not of tolerance" q
dislike the thought of "tolerat-
ing" people or being tolerated
by them), but Of compatibility
among races.
You see, l am to them a liv-
ing representation Of the truth
Of such a fact, because / am
Negro and attend a school
where the fact that I'm from
Texas and haven't a southern
accent is Of more interest than
the fact that | am a Negro.
| know that every storyof this
kind is not always like mine
maybe Nazareth is an exception.
But no matter where 1 go or
what l encounter through life
I'll know that races can laugh
together, work together, and
Dlay together