Copyrighted 2026.
Francine grew up in the segregated South and lived with her four siblings and parents in a Christian household. Things were difficult for Black families. Her father served in the Army during WWII and was injured while training to serve in France. After his discharge, he was denied G.I. benefits, and a meaningful job. They lived in abject poverty due to systemic racism.
As a child, she dreamed of marrying a God fearing man like her Dad. She loved to play make-believe, and daydreamed about another life as far away from the segregated South as possible. She loved her family, but daydreaming was her escape from the painful poverty she endured on a daily basis. She didn’t feel like she belonged in the world she was living in.
When she was a teen, their family moved to Hurt Village, a large housing project in Memphis that was recently integrated. Northside, a beautiful and spacious high school was within walking distance. It was built to accommodate the neighboring children. Most of the white families immediately moved to the suburbs. There were only a handful of white families left.
In the eleventh grade, she took French classes and dreamed about a romantic faraway place. Her French teacher wore a raspberry beret that covered her short Afro. She spoke exotic sounding words that Francine tried to grasp the meaning of. Something about those words made her feel like she belonged. She was determined to go to Paris one day.
Her Dad named her Francine. She was convinced she was named after the country France. She held on to this belief for dear life. Her friends added to her fantasy by calling her Francino, Francoise, or Francisca. They thought they were teasing her but she felt proud and special. Two of her favorite authors, James Baldwin and Richard Wright, moved from the United States to France to escape racism and segregation. They felt welcomed by the French government and people.
One of her classmates, Bob, recently moved from Wyoming with his family and attended her school. His father had obtained a job with the city of Memphis. Bob was one year younger than her and was in the tenth grade. He was a slim but muscular young man with sandy brown hair and piercing trout blue eyes.
Even though he was a grade lower, they took French together. He was friendly, playful, and teased her about her curly hair. She in turn, teased him about his name, singing the name game to him. This was a popular name rhyming song made popular around 1965 by Shirley Ellis. Since his name was Bob, it was easy to sing. “If the first two letters are ever the same, drop them both and say the name, like Bob-Drop the B’s and add Bo-ab.” He loved for her to sing this song.
Out West, Bob didn’t grow up around many Black people and didn’t understand the customs of the South. He and his family lived on North Manassas Street, not far from Francine. The homes on that street were 20th century bungalows or Victorian Style. There was a significant demographic change due to desegregation.
One day, they walked home from school together and engaged in a lively conversation. Her friends Edna and Joan didn’t seem to mind him tagging alone and hurried ahead, giggling and occasionally glancing back. Francine and Pierre stuck their tongues out at them.
As they walked and talked, Francine told him Elvis Presley once attended Humes High School, a historic Collegiate Gothic building, located on the same street. He walked from nearby Lauderdale Courts public housing project to Humes. It recently changed to a junior high school.
As they walked through a historic neighborhood called Smokey City, Bob seemed genuinely interested in what she was saying. Lost in conversation, they were oblivious to their surroundings. Since he didn’t grow up in the South, he was curious about the city’s racial climate. Francine was happy to provide a short history lesson. She began with the history of their school. Northside, the beautiful and spacious dark orange brick school was built to accommodate the growing number of children in the community. She explained that many white families moved to the suburbs as part of white flight. The pupils in Bob’s trout blue eyes seemed to enlarge with each lesson.
Bob noted half the teachers were white and was curious as to why they didn’t transfer to the white schools. Francine reckoned they were there because they wanted to teach. It didn’t matter what color the students were. They agreed this is how it should be. She decided to give this explanation rather than the real one because he seemed angry. This was too much information to give to a cowboy from out west.
They decided to visit the Lorraine Motel one day. This is where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated two years ago and it was within walking distance of where they lived. His eyes widened with curiosity as he listened. He didn’t seem to believe what he was hearing. They both agreed this senseless act made no sense. He shared that Wyoming was not only beautiful but is known as “The Equality State.” It was the first U.S. territory to grant women the right to vote, hold office, and serve on juries. He looked at her and winked, “Maybe you’ll visit one day.”
Francine smiled shyly and continued the conversation. “Why did your family move here anyway,” she asked. He explained that his father had gotten a job offer to work for the city of Memphis. They chose a home close to downtown. He wasn’t used to city life but was adjusting. He missed the rugged outdoor adventures and openness of Wyoming.
Francine was a curious teenager with a strong desire to understand the world. He seemed to be like minded, therefore, she felt comfortable talking we him. She asked, “Are you a Christian?” She grew up in a Christian household. Her father was a Methodist and her mother was a Baptist. She and her siblings attended both churches. Prior to moving back within the city limits of Memphis, She was baptized at age 12 in a muddy pond beside the small AME Church the family attended. She sat on a “mourners” bench until she confessed with her mouth a faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. He seemed surprised. He was a Lutheran and was baptized when he was a baby. They both thought it was strange that Christians practiced racism.
They both enjoyed taking French classes from Ms. Gandy. She was a small, fiery, and petite lady. She was one of the first Black students to integrate Memphis State University. They were known as the Memphis State Eight and began classes there in 1959. Ms. Gandy wanted us to visualize the possibilities of life outside of segregation, life in a city of love and lights. Francine didn’t believe romance existed anywhere except in France.
By this time, they sensed a feeling of togetherness and needed to feel some joy. They decided to practice the challenging French words in case they both went to France one day. They decided to dance on the uneven sidewalk. She challenged him a dance that she easily won. He wanted to learn a dance called “The Pony.” This dance was a simple, bouncy, and rhythmic motion that imitated riding a horse. She showed him how and won this challenge also. They were two teenagers enjoying the moment.
Shortly afterwards, Bob and his family moved back to Wyoming. They didn’t get the opportunity to say good-bye, but she cherished the memory.
Francie Mae. February 1, 2026. Copyrighted.