BernieBomb...
This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by TexasTowelie (a host of the 2016 Postmortem forum).
I was in the 5th Grade when we were "integrated"
I put that in quotes because we did not usually have our parent's prejudices...
So one day... in the 5th grade... on the first day...
We were all lined up in alphabetical order... For Mrs. Hackbarth.
Mrs. Hackbarth had been a 5 grade teacher, and the ruler of our "Library" for years.
When integration happened, I was in a line of students, and my last name started with a "C".
The black girl in front of me had a name that started with a "B".
We were all required to stand their with a folder of our educational history, that on the cover went last name first, second name last.
So... when I saw that the black girl in front of me was... Brown, Marsha... I got a grin...
And she got a smile, and a look, and her fist in a ball.
And I smiled and told here I had her back.
And we ended up as playground friends.
This had happened before...
In the 3rd Grade... my best bud was Terry Osuga...
We used to walk around the playground arm in arm...
Best Friends...
One day he came for Show & Tell with a book his father had rescued from a farmhouse in Italy during WWII.
It took a whole shitload of years to realize that Terry's dad had been in one of the few Japanese units allowed to fight in Europe.
What Terry's dad had, and what Terry brought to our 3rd grade class... was a Nuremberg PictureBook.
Fucking amazing as I think back on it.
Also...
We had a Japanese family a few doors down.. Last name... Yamamoto.
He was a doctor at UCD in CA... and my mom became best friends with his wife Fusa.
They were our Friends and a great family, and one day my sisters asked if they could take their youngest son (5) down to the swim/tennis club we had just joined.
All moms agreed and off they went.
But... when they got to the pool, as my sisters were about to jump in and play with Akira...
The lifeguard stopped them and said, "He can sit on the side of the pool, but cannot go in the pool."
When my sisters asked why, he said they should read the rules.
Instead... they picked Akira and all there stuff up, and headed home to play.
When mom got home,they told their story.
Mom went NUTS !!!
She went into her files read the contract she signed, and found NO SUCH RULE...
But she also did something really creative and smart...
There was an up-coming open-house for the club. Where people could met and greet, to get more paying members.
Mom... being mom... smiled, got as many applications she could, and canvassed the entire neighbor hood.
She went to Black, Jewish, WASP, Catholic, etc. Homes and sold therm on joining the club.
The party went really really well... but my mom was outside when one of the founder found her and asked, "Grace !!! Did you even meet any of these... people ???"
Mom says... "Yeah... I met every single one of them."
= new reply since forum marked as read
She knew how to work the system.
Good for her!
I think you've absorbed quite a lot from her.
Hope your Thanksgiving was happy!
Great stories! Beautiful family, WillyT.
The acorn didn't fall far from that tree, according to your story of your mom... 
Moms are the best! 
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