OUR KIDDIE CAMELOT
Our family moved to 148 Electric Street in Meacham Park, Missouri, in 1955. Our father had found this house and work "up north," while we remained in Canton, Mississippi.
We consisted of Mama, me, age 4, Schleria , age 3, and Harold, age 1.
We rode up to St. Louis on a train in a Jim Crow car that was crammed to the hilt with many colored folks.
One of my fondest memories of our train-trip North was eating a simply delicious meal that was prepared for us by Mother, Mama's mother. It had consisted of fried chicken and chocolate cake, that was carefully wrapped in waxed paper, packed in a shoe box, tied shut with a cord.
I can yet still taste, smell, see that delectable repast. I can also still remember the other passengers who were on the train, pulling out their shoe boxes of goodies. The whole car assumed a character of a church picnic: joy, love, and eating!
Daddy met us at the train station, Union Station, sharp as a tack, and clean as the board of health! I was overwhelmed to see my/our Daddy again! I ran up to him and was lifted up. Shaving lotion aromas lingered.
We all went home to Electric street.
My first friend in Missouri was a white boy, Junior Walker, who lived across the street. He was 4, too and his sister, Wee-Wee, was 3. We had big fun together getting into all kinds of devilment, and enjoyment .
Next door to them lived Vivian and Herb, also white, who were later friends of Mama and Daddy. Next door to us on one side was a white McCoy family. On the other side of us was "Aunt" Roberta and "Uncle" Bob Watkins , colored people, who were not really kin by blood but by love. Next to them lived Mattie, her daughter Eva Dell, Ben, and others, who later joined St. Matthews CME Church, that we had earlier joined, where Aunt Roberta was the pianist and Rev. J.L. Tabor was the pastor.
Although we lived together, "cheek and jowl," on Electric Street in 1955, the climate changed in 1956, when a big yellow school bus took Junior Walker away from Meacham Park to a white grade school, while I walked two blocks over to James Milton Turner Elementary School in Meacham Park. Externalities of an alien society disrupted our Kiddie Camelot on Electric Street years ago . But life went on, yet goes on.
Thursday, October 19, 2017
KID CAMELOT
OUR KIDDIE CAMELOT
Our family moved to 148 Electric Street in Meacham Park, Missouri, in 1955. Our father had found this house and work "up north," while we remained in Canton, Mississippi.
We consisted of Mama, me, age 4, Schleria , age 3, and Harold, age 1.
We rode up to St. Louis on a train in a Jim Crow car that was crammed to the hilt with many colored folks.
One of my fondest memories of our train-trip North was eating a simply delicious meal that was prepared for us by Mother, Mama's mother. It had consisted of fried chicken and chocolate cake, that was carefully wrapped in waxed paper, packed in a shoe box, tied shut with a cord.
I can yet still taste, smell, see that delectable repast. I can also still remember the other passengers who were on the train, pulling out their shoe boxes of goodies. The whole car assumed a character of a church picnic: joy, love, and eating!
Daddy met us at the train station, Union Station, sharp as a tack, and clean as the board of health! I was overwhelmed to see my/our Daddy again! I ran up to him and was lifted up. Shaving lotion aromas lingered.
We all went home to Electric street.
My first friend in Missouri was a white boy, Junior Walker, who lived across the street. He was 4, too and his sister, Wee-Wee, was 3. We had big fun together getting into all kinds of devilment, and enjoyment .
Next door to them lived Vivian and Herb, also white, who were later friends of Mama and Daddy. Next door to us on one side was a white McCoy family. On the other side of us was "Aunt" Roberta and "Uncle" Bob Watkins , colored people, who were not really kin by blood but by love. Next to them lived Mattie, her daughter Eva Dell, Ben, and others, who later joined St. Matthews CME Church, that we had earlier joined, where Aunt Roberta was the pianist and Rev. J.L. Tabor was the pastor.
Although we lived together, "cheek and jowl," on Electric Street in 1955, the climate changed in 1956, when a big yellow school bus took Junior Walker away from Meacham Park to a white grade school, while I walked two blocks over to James Milton Turner Elementary School in Meacham Park. Externalities of an alien society disrupted our Kiddie Camelot on Electric Street years ago . But life went on, yet goes on.