When we moved to the military community, the children and some adults stared at us like we were ghosts. We were a family of curly haired children with dark black hair described as “blue black.” The neighborhood people were used to seeing one or two curly haired children in a family but not an entire family. Our skin tones were of various shades and were similar to theirs, but they couldn’t see beyond the hair. We got our fair share of questions regarding our ethnicity. The common question was, “Are ya’ll mixed with Indian?” Even though we tired of the questions, they were innocent enough, so we answered to the best of our ability. Truth be told, most black people are mixed with other ethnicities and some ancestors were not from Africa. For lack of a better identification, we became known as the children with the “good” hair. There were a lot of questions during those times and unspoken answers. Some children were born in black families but had unknown white fathers or white fathers that wasn’t mentioned. These children had lighter skin tones and curly or straighter hair. During those times, black people with different skin tones or hair texture experienced a different form of social implications. Over time, the questions gradually stopped and we adjusted to our community.
Read more in my memoir: www.simplybestreads.com or Amazon.
As I continued on this difficult journey, I was determined to help improve our circumstances and help others along the way. We suffered economically but not spiritually or emotionally. We learned to adapt to situational conditions, not lose hope, but also set a strong foundation. Many things are possible. Sometimes we have to look for opportunities in hidden places.