Post a story or scene from your memoir on your experience with race in the South

I have a lot, but one of my favorites was when black girls would say “that white boy fine.”

I can’t remember any racial confrontations that escalated to violence, and I really only remember two racial confrontations.

With this murder story in the news, which is horrible, I think back on growing up and just don’t think it was like how people up north and other places think it was.

Black kids weren’t worried about me or any other whites. They were focused on the other black kids. And we had black teachers, and the white kids didn’t disrespect them. The town was segregated, and I don’t recall ever being invited to any black person’s house in my town, ever. I did see black people in white homes, though. Not often but sometimes.

I definitely grew up around people who privately were somewhat bigoted, but they didn’t do anything to anybody, in terms of intimidation or harassment. They might have discriminated if they were in a position of power, though. I don’t know. Probably they did.

In my school, I felt black kids had power. Maybe in the larger community there were only a few black adults who did.

I have to admit to myself that probably the white employers were typically probably not enthused about hiring a black person if a white person was available. But I don’t know how often whites and blacks were in the running for the same opportunities where I was.

Any good anecdotes that frame the true racial situation in the south? I don’t mean to say racism wasn’t a thing. Sure it was. But it wasn’t like in the movies. We all know this.