Oh my this was wonderful! I could “see you”. I grew up in a very small town. All white County, all white town. As a kid who listened to my parents talking, when they did not know.
I am so happy I had my Daddy. He passed away when I was 12....He was not happy with the way most people in town spoke of “colored folk”. Daddy was way ahead of his time in that town. He had been all over this country in the Navy. He would say the N word even then. Mother she is a very long story that we will skip today.
I could feel the way adults ( Or So Called adults)Talked to you and how they talked down, around and you or just plain ignored you. I grew up with these people. I have no idea how it had to feel for you. I can empathize but I will never know how it felt. I hated it as a kid and I hate it now
Thank you so much for sharing this. I promised I was going to read it - Bravo!!!!!!!
Wow. I just recently discovered your page, and I am so happy that I did. This post is such a clear, concise, example of one of the hideous cornerstones of colonialism and racism. While I understand, intellectually, how/why people behave the way your teacher and principal did, I can never quite wrap my mind around how easy it is for us humans to be self-serving, and embrace dominant cultural dogma that is both patently absurd and horribly cruel and dehumanizing. Thank you for your eloquent reporting on your experience.
Hi, Amelia. I'm here after reading and commenting on your Big Picture post Autism & Me – that was an interesting piece, thank you. I'm interested in learning more about who you are and curious what you have to share here.
I'm in far northern Minnesota, practically on the Canadian border, living on Annishinabe land (Ojibwe). One Native was a classmate (one of the smartest) in school and one of his brothers was also in school band with me. There were many others scattered through the grades. I'm of Finnish heritage and there are a lot of Finnish folks who immigrated to this area for iron mining and logging, many of whom married Annishinabe – the two cultures share some characteristics in common that seemed to make their relationships work out successfully.
I just spent a couple of days at the nearby Rez for the traditional wake and funeral of one of my Annishinabe friends who passed at 87. It was a very interesting and educational process for me to learn more about the tradition of sending someone off to join the ancestors. Interesting, too that starting in 1914 my maternal grandmother-to-be was best friends with his Finnish mother-to-be through their time together in grade school. His mother-to-be went on to become a teacher until she married an Annishinabe and started growing a family. (Married women could not be teachers in those days ... taking away a job from a man.) Also, my grandson is friends with one of his many adopted sons because they went to school together, so this long running inter-family connection continues...
So, at least during my time here over the past 76 years, the Annishinabe here have long been mingling in with and well accepted and pretty highly regarded by we who arrived and took over their lands. But I've read other accounts similar to yours about your school experience. I'm very sorry you, and so many others, were subjected to such awful treatment. I know a number of Annishinabe who were taken away from their families and sent off to boarding school, which was also an awful experience, based on the policy of "kill the Indian to save the child." Their stories are difficult to learn about and impossible to justify – man's inhumanity to man, woman and child.
I appreciated this first Auntie Mavis post that I've read so far, and I'll return to read others over time and follow along. Take care and be well.
Beautiful & gut wrenching. I sincerely hope that Marie sees this & reconnects with you. It hurts my heart that you experienced this & that people continue to experience this on a daily basis. 💜
Great story! I was raised in a nearby state to the south east of AR. Your story reminded me of my experiences during those times. Riding the bus and singing songs with my new black friends. “Patches” was a popular one among others. Also today I woke up thinking about my friend Phil, he’s gone now and I miss him. He enjoyed calling himself Injun and AIM toothpaste was his favorite! Phil was Flathead, we met in Alaska in the ‘80s. Some day I’ll write about our great expedition snowmobiling in the Talkeetna Mountains. Thanks for you story I like your writing style.
Great newsletter that so thoroughly explains one of the biggest problems in our society today, racial bigotry. And it is boiling over with the current fascist dictator trying so desperately to get re-elected. Hopefully both the judicial process and the Nov. 5th election will take the creep out of our lives forever!
I grew up in the sixties in Bennett County South Dakota, the Pine ridge Reservation on one side, Rosebud on two, with Nebraska on the southern border. I'm white. My great grandparents homesteaded on your land. We were segregated for the most part and looking back I wonder how much of it was policy, unspoken or not. Thankful, my parents also divorced and I 'escaped' from a place that is now deeply Trumpian.
I also have memories of the same paddle., long and wide, displayed above the door of the classroom. My mother, who was student teacher in my room, took up the battle to stop the threat of punishment. We did not go back to that school the next year.
My mother was strong willed and also fought against my older sister having to wear dresses and my brother having to cut his hair. Schizophrenic and full of faults, she did her best.
I’m much younger than you, and was raised to be nothing but whyte, but this spoke to me so intensely. Some of it is similarity of neurodivergence, and the rest I’m not sure. But, Thank you. It’s dislocating yet enjoyable to feel the jolt of familiarity.
A remarkable story, so well told...
Philámayaye for reading and your kind words.
Love! Love! Love!
Thanks for sharing your story
Philámayaye for reading my ramblings.
What a wonderful article. Thank you for sharing your story.
Philámayaye for your kind words.
Oh my this was wonderful! I could “see you”. I grew up in a very small town. All white County, all white town. As a kid who listened to my parents talking, when they did not know.
I am so happy I had my Daddy. He passed away when I was 12....He was not happy with the way most people in town spoke of “colored folk”. Daddy was way ahead of his time in that town. He had been all over this country in the Navy. He would say the N word even then. Mother she is a very long story that we will skip today.
I could feel the way adults ( Or So Called adults)Talked to you and how they talked down, around and you or just plain ignored you. I grew up with these people. I have no idea how it had to feel for you. I can empathize but I will never know how it felt. I hated it as a kid and I hate it now
Thank you so much for sharing this. I promised I was going to read it - Bravo!!!!!!!
I would love to share - is that okay or do you prefer we do not share? I def would give all credit where it is due! Beautiful job!
Feel free to share any of my content.
Thank you - you write well! This character is you as you grew up? I love the spunk and brains in a 2nd 3rd grader.....thank you again for sharing 😉
No characters, just memories from my childhood.
Wow. I just recently discovered your page, and I am so happy that I did. This post is such a clear, concise, example of one of the hideous cornerstones of colonialism and racism. While I understand, intellectually, how/why people behave the way your teacher and principal did, I can never quite wrap my mind around how easy it is for us humans to be self-serving, and embrace dominant cultural dogma that is both patently absurd and horribly cruel and dehumanizing. Thank you for your eloquent reporting on your experience.
Hi, Amelia. I'm here after reading and commenting on your Big Picture post Autism & Me – that was an interesting piece, thank you. I'm interested in learning more about who you are and curious what you have to share here.
I'm in far northern Minnesota, practically on the Canadian border, living on Annishinabe land (Ojibwe). One Native was a classmate (one of the smartest) in school and one of his brothers was also in school band with me. There were many others scattered through the grades. I'm of Finnish heritage and there are a lot of Finnish folks who immigrated to this area for iron mining and logging, many of whom married Annishinabe – the two cultures share some characteristics in common that seemed to make their relationships work out successfully.
I just spent a couple of days at the nearby Rez for the traditional wake and funeral of one of my Annishinabe friends who passed at 87. It was a very interesting and educational process for me to learn more about the tradition of sending someone off to join the ancestors. Interesting, too that starting in 1914 my maternal grandmother-to-be was best friends with his Finnish mother-to-be through their time together in grade school. His mother-to-be went on to become a teacher until she married an Annishinabe and started growing a family. (Married women could not be teachers in those days ... taking away a job from a man.) Also, my grandson is friends with one of his many adopted sons because they went to school together, so this long running inter-family connection continues...
So, at least during my time here over the past 76 years, the Annishinabe here have long been mingling in with and well accepted and pretty highly regarded by we who arrived and took over their lands. But I've read other accounts similar to yours about your school experience. I'm very sorry you, and so many others, were subjected to such awful treatment. I know a number of Annishinabe who were taken away from their families and sent off to boarding school, which was also an awful experience, based on the policy of "kill the Indian to save the child." Their stories are difficult to learn about and impossible to justify – man's inhumanity to man, woman and child.
I appreciated this first Auntie Mavis post that I've read so far, and I'll return to read others over time and follow along. Take care and be well.
what a story!
Learning about your childhood and how you described both of your parents. It made me question, if that shaped you into wanting to become a writer?
Anyways. Thank you for sharing. I was having an off day. Now I'm feeling a little better. <3
I'm so sorry you had to experience that🫂 I'll never grasp hating someone based on the amount of melanin in their skin.
Brilliant piece, I felt like I was in the space - completely involved in the memory. Thank you, Amelia!
Beautiful & gut wrenching. I sincerely hope that Marie sees this & reconnects with you. It hurts my heart that you experienced this & that people continue to experience this on a daily basis. 💜
Great story! I was raised in a nearby state to the south east of AR. Your story reminded me of my experiences during those times. Riding the bus and singing songs with my new black friends. “Patches” was a popular one among others. Also today I woke up thinking about my friend Phil, he’s gone now and I miss him. He enjoyed calling himself Injun and AIM toothpaste was his favorite! Phil was Flathead, we met in Alaska in the ‘80s. Some day I’ll write about our great expedition snowmobiling in the Talkeetna Mountains. Thanks for you story I like your writing style.
Great newsletter that so thoroughly explains one of the biggest problems in our society today, racial bigotry. And it is boiling over with the current fascist dictator trying so desperately to get re-elected. Hopefully both the judicial process and the Nov. 5th election will take the creep out of our lives forever!
I grew up in the sixties in Bennett County South Dakota, the Pine ridge Reservation on one side, Rosebud on two, with Nebraska on the southern border. I'm white. My great grandparents homesteaded on your land. We were segregated for the most part and looking back I wonder how much of it was policy, unspoken or not. Thankful, my parents also divorced and I 'escaped' from a place that is now deeply Trumpian.
I also have memories of the same paddle., long and wide, displayed above the door of the classroom. My mother, who was student teacher in my room, took up the battle to stop the threat of punishment. We did not go back to that school the next year.
My mother was strong willed and also fought against my older sister having to wear dresses and my brother having to cut his hair. Schizophrenic and full of faults, she did her best.
This is fantastic, thank you.
I’m much younger than you, and was raised to be nothing but whyte, but this spoke to me so intensely. Some of it is similarity of neurodivergence, and the rest I’m not sure. But, Thank you. It’s dislocating yet enjoyable to feel the jolt of familiarity.
Absolutely gob-smacked by your words. Human beings are so incredibly terrifying. Stand strong, you are wonderful