Jean Ellen Wilson

Jean Ellen Wilson went to school in the South in the time of segregation. "I never had a thought about the school on the other side of town where the black kids were studying science and playing football just like we were," she admits. "But a bit later, I experienced an epiphany: after having a picnic lunch with a "colored girl" I worked alongside, she and I separated for a drink at a water fountain. She went to the one marked 'Colored' and I to the one marked 'Whites Only.' It was a life...See more

Jean Ellen Wilson went to school in the South in the time of segregation. "I never had a thought about the school on the other side of town where the black kids were studying science and playing football just like we were," she admits. "But a bit later, I experienced an epiphany: after having a picnic lunch with a "colored girl" I worked alongside, she and I separated for a drink at a water fountain. She went to the one marked 'Colored' and I to the one marked 'Whites Only.' It was a life-altering moment for me." Although this biographical experience is used in this book, 95% of the happenings in the story are not part of my personal life nor did they happen in my hometown. Some stories I heard from other people from other places, some came entirely out of my imagination. Looking back, I am amazed that we all accepted so passively that color meant we could not eat, swim, learn, play, ride, or be buried next to each other. See less