Juneteenth

Happy Juneteenth!

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Alligatorob said:
I am well aware of it, and am certainly grateful slavery ended. Wish it had been earlier, much earlier.

When I was a kid (US segregated South) it was celebrated in the black part of town. All I really remember was being warned not to go there that day.
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I was also a kid in the US segregated South. We used to eat at the S&W Cafeteria in Greensboro, NC. There were black people there who carried our trays but were not allowed to eat in the restaurant. I remember going there one night and seeing black people laying in the streets protesting. I will apologize in advance for my parents still choosing to dine there, but they were a product of their time

Even as a child, I knew there was something inherently wrong with this but didn't have the depth of knowledge to figure it out. Now that I am an adult, I completely agree with you that this was wrong and ALL OF THIS should have ended much earlier.
 
dseag2 said:
We used to eat at the S&W Cafeteria in Greensboro, NC. There were black people there who carried our trays but were not allowed to eat in the restaurant.
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For me it was Morison's Cafeteria.

I remember once asking my grandmother about it, she explained that if a black person worked there they could require the person be clean and respectable. Not so with black patrons. I am embarrassed to say that her answer made sense to me at the time. I think I was about 12. To be honest I am pretty sure my mother put me up to even asking the question, she was a quiet progressive. I think she also knew my grandmother was more likely to listen to me than her. Doubt I had the wisdom at that age to know to ask...

Remembering all that is probably good, reminds us of where we came from.
 
Warrigal said:
I wouldn't be skiting about 7 out of 10. I scored 6 out of 10 and I'm Australian.
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Ha Ha - I'll also have to look up "skiting" - I get your drift, but ...

(skaÉŖt ) Australian and New Zealand informal. verb (intransitive) 1. to boast.

Thanks for educating us in the US !
 
dseag2 said:
I was also a kid in the US segregated South. We used to eat at the S&W Cafeteria in Greensboro, NC. There were black people there who carried our trays but were not allowed to eat in the restaurant. I remember going there one night and seeing black people laying in the streets protesting. I will apologize in advance for my parents still choosing to dine there, but they were a product of their time

Even as a child, I knew there was something inherently wrong with this but didn't have the depth of knowledge to figure it out. Now that I am an adult, I completely agree with you that this was wrong and ALL OF THIS should have ended much earlier.
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When growing up I'd often visit grandparents in Lincolnton, NC and saw the Black people living on the outskirts of town in tar paper shacks. It was an ugly feeling to see this...the whole specter of racism took decades to grasp.
 
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