MODEL BEHAVIOR

"The electrified fence of segregation and the centuries of shock it delivered so effectively circumscribed the lives of American blacks that even after the current was turned off, the idea of climbing over the fence inspired dread....black people frequently disqualified themselves even without the 'whites only' sign in view. There was no rule keeping a Negro boy from entering the [Soap Box Derby] race , but it took a lot of gumption for him to believe that he might win, and even more to accept a loss as a failure that had nothing to do with his race. "Mary, however, was determined to clamber over every fence she encountered and pull everyone she knew behind her. The deep humanitarianism that was her family inheritance had taught her to see achievement as something that functioned like a bank account, something you drew on, when you were in need and made deposits to when you were blessed with a surplus." P. 196, "Model Behavior," HIDDEN FIGURES by Margot Lee Shetterly (2016)