Well, after much hubbub, I'm settled into my new home in Oklahoma. I'll be posting my new adventures here! I'm thankful, thankful for the chance to start over. I'd pretty much worn out my welcome back home in Montgomery. Done all. Seen it all. Some good. Some bad. Some joy. Lots of pain toward the end.
Funny, that I don't really miss it. I miss my baby. I miss my Mama. I miss my friends. I don't miss the diamond coated caste system. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make a life or a living there. I was never from a good enough family to fit into the hierarchy of blacks in Montgomery...and to make matters worse, I actually thought living a fully integrated life would allow me acceptance into the power structure. I was too black to fit in with the whites and too white for the blacks. This was never more evident than when I applied for several jobs that I was more than qualified for. I'd either get shut out by a black woman who was sorority sisters with the woman doing the hiring, or a far less qualified white guy would get the job because his daddy was friends with...I'm looking at yall, Soon to Be Serving Time for Extortion Lobbyist/State Employee/Senator.
The thing I most love about being here is I'm just a person. I'm sure there's still racism, but it is not nearly as pungent or palpable as the venom in Montgomery—from both sides of the preverbal race card. I'm looking forward to being able to live a life--not just exist. Besides, I’m glad to be low priority on the racism checklist here. Mexicans and Arabs get the blunt end of the billy club here! I know it’s wrong to say, but I’m exhausted from trying squeeze my fat ass into the box. I’m glad to be able to let the chub fall where it may, and just live.
I’ll let ya know how it goes.
Love ya, Gal! And we really miss you!
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