Napa Valley winery host remembers Fani Willis paying in paper bills

[Midnight Writer]

47. I've read about Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, and other black performers who only accepted payment in cash.

That is because they traveled the country, with their bands, and in many places were not allowed to bank, had no recourse if a white venue manager ripped them off, knew that police would side with the white people who screwed them over.

Sam Cooke carried a satchel with him when he was on tour, with all the proceeds of the entire tour in cash. He paid his band cash, and he always insisted in being paid in full, in cash, before he went on stage. (This led to his horrendous death at a young age, but that is another story)

The same was true of black contractors, plumbers, roofers, carpenters and others who were vulnerable to being stiffed by white clients.

Black folk insisting on cash for transactions is part of the racist legacy of our country. Though things have improved since then, many black people have been taught from an early stage to not trust banks, checks, and credit cards and to rely on cash.