Growing up near where Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, GA, I heard some horrific stories from my father about treatment of black people in the rural areas. Those stories have stayed with me all my life. I write about them in my memoir.
I'm glad the movie, 42, was uplifting. What a brave young man Robinson was to take on the entire world of baseball, to take on the verbal abuse from the players and the fans.
I was happy the movie portrayed a southern team mate, Pee Wee Reese, as one who put his arm around Jackie and faced the fans to let them know where he stood. That was also a brave man.
In my book, I'll tell about my sister and how she had to defend herself while in college, from racist remarks of hometown students who had read in a newspaper that she was on the welcoming committee for Charlene Hunter, first of two black students at UGA. The article was untrue, but the meanness and accusations were not.
The movie, 42, made me feel good about how far this country has come although we have so much further to go. I think racism has just gone underground, at least in the south, because people tell me that a heavy racist population prospers right here in our mountains. I am fortunate to know and be able to socialize with open-minded intelligent and informed people. Most of them I have met through writing.
We have more good people than bad, I believe, and I'm glad good people, after a long time of blindness, saw the wrong being done by ignorant people, and changed our laws. Sadly laws can't change the prejudiced hearts and minds of others. They have to obey law, but still, inside they hate.
