A moving Connection with African-American History....

[electric_blue68]

On reddit I saw a past photo of a African-American man in The South being led out of a "Whites Only" room. He had like a smirk in his face - "good trouble".

The person who posted it; was this woman's grandfarher ! She posted a photo of a Black regiment (WW2?, sorry will recheck - been reading a lot on reddit follwing this) who were awarded medals from France while being ignored (surprise!) by America
.
Anyway, we texted more w each other.
She then posted a photo of a Black man, and others at the Lunch counter sit-in; which was hanging in the DC Amercan National History Museum; it was her grandfather again! She explained that he and a mix of black, and white friends were there. They had a code - 1 kick under the counter meant the police were coming; 2 kicks - arrests were coming; 3 they were going to be attacked!
Just.... woah ! To meet, even virtually, *Brave History*!

[BaronChocula]

1. Exciting stuff

My aunt told me this story a few years ago. She passed in 2023. She and my grandparents were visiting Uncle Frank in NC (from PA). They went to the grocery store where she went to use the bathroom and she had to be corrected by one of the adults as to where she could go. She didn't understand it but she complied. But my parents who grew up in PA were still exposed to some forms of segregation and otherwise daily condescensions and diminutions.

I was listening to a tape of my grandfather today talking about how his grandmother narrowly missed lashes with a whip. Some of the old family stories passed down by word of mouth don't always agree with the known genealogy. Sometimes stories confuse or reverse people from different generations. But the stories are still good to have.

[electric_blue68]

2. It was exciting to hear about, see photos her of grandfather's actions. As for your Aunt..

Well, that must have been upsetting!
And obviously Black people had to contend with racism up North.

Your grandfather's grandmother- yikes! Thank goodness they didn't have to endure that. I'Ive seen that infamous photo w the man and his scars.

Even if some of the stories get mixed up a bit; there's still basic truths in them, and are part of personal, and American History.