A Lost Boy
A most unforgettable trip41 total reviews
Comment from Jannypan (Jan)
You did an exceptional job sharing this informative
story, Nomi. What stood out the most for me was
this presentation is a primary source of the way
society believed at the time. It isn't someone retelling
this which would make it a secondary source. Your words
were well thought out, descriptive, and created great imagery.
I enjoyed reading this--esp the part about you having to eat
in the kitchen. Your notes were super. Your mother was a
wise women. You took her teaching to heart and honored
her.
Thanks for sharing, Jan
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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You did an exceptional job sharing this informative
story, Nomi. What stood out the most for me was
this presentation is a primary source of the way
society believed at the time. It isn't someone retelling
this which would make it a secondary source. Your words
were well thought out, descriptive, and created great imagery.
I enjoyed reading this--esp the part about you having to eat
in the kitchen. Your notes were super. Your mother was a
wise women. You took her teaching to heart and honored
her.
Thanks for sharing, Jan
Comment Written 29-May-2023
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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I think many of the tragedies that occurred among black victims happened because they were not prudent enough to hold their anger in until a better time to express it. Thank you for your comments.
Comment from Monica Chaddick
This is a very interesting story regarding that time in your life. First, I would like to thank you for your service. Second, I would like to say that I am sorry for the prejudice that you faced. Prejudice is an ugly and unnecessary thing. I am white, but I have relatives of various races. As I tell my six year old grandson (who is mixed) - we all have features that make us look a little different from one another, but that doesn't dictate who we are nor the sort of person we can be. Our skin is a bit different, but he and I have the exact same eye color. I have two other grandkids who are blonde and blue eyed, yet I am brunette. His little sister is mixed with hazel eyes. I have four kids with three different eye colors. We are all different. It means absolutely nothing in the end. What matters is how we feel about one another and how we treat one another. Sorry for the soap box. With all that said, I see that you, like myself, want to know what others see that can help improve our writing skills, so here is what I saw:
"me and four other guys" should read "four other guys and I"
no comma between San Antonio and Texas
and was to arrive in Chicago two days later
the sentence ending with "Mason-Dixon line" is an incomplete sentence
too many commas in some places
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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This is a very interesting story regarding that time in your life. First, I would like to thank you for your service. Second, I would like to say that I am sorry for the prejudice that you faced. Prejudice is an ugly and unnecessary thing. I am white, but I have relatives of various races. As I tell my six year old grandson (who is mixed) - we all have features that make us look a little different from one another, but that doesn't dictate who we are nor the sort of person we can be. Our skin is a bit different, but he and I have the exact same eye color. I have two other grandkids who are blonde and blue eyed, yet I am brunette. His little sister is mixed with hazel eyes. I have four kids with three different eye colors. We are all different. It means absolutely nothing in the end. What matters is how we feel about one another and how we treat one another. Sorry for the soap box. With all that said, I see that you, like myself, want to know what others see that can help improve our writing skills, so here is what I saw:
"me and four other guys" should read "four other guys and I"
no comma between San Antonio and Texas
and was to arrive in Chicago two days later
the sentence ending with "Mason-Dixon line" is an incomplete sentence
too many commas in some places
Comment Written 29-May-2023
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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Thank you for your critique. I believe that we are a community that improves by listening to and absorbing all the helpful elements offered for our mutual betterment.
Comment from Mario PIERRE
Very powerful story, like most of the stories reflecting the ill treatment of black people in the sixties. Good storytelling skills and the narration flows very well.
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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Very powerful story, like most of the stories reflecting the ill treatment of black people in the sixties. Good storytelling skills and the narration flows very well.
Comment Written 29-May-2023
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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Thank you very much. I appreciate your thoughtful comments.
Comment from Jim Wile
Prejudice is a strange thing indeed. I don't think people are naturally prejudiced, and people that are prejudiced don't really know why they are except that it's something they learned from their elders. I look at my little grandsons, and they seem to have no concept of prejudice, and it would never occur to them to discriminate based on the color of a person's skin.
Fortunately, it seems to be growing less. I think my generation is far less prejudiced than my parents' generation, and my kids and grandkids' generations are even less so. Maybe this is wishful thinking, but hopefully in another generation or two it will be gone for good unless the flames keep getting fanned by those who seem to want to keep it alive.
It was horrible what you had to go through, Nomi, in your youth with no excuse for it at all. I do think your mother took the right approach with you, though, by teaching you not to exacerbate an already bad situation. It would only have made those who were already prejudiced against you even more self-righteous in their beliefs had you acted up. Jim
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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Prejudice is a strange thing indeed. I don't think people are naturally prejudiced, and people that are prejudiced don't really know why they are except that it's something they learned from their elders. I look at my little grandsons, and they seem to have no concept of prejudice, and it would never occur to them to discriminate based on the color of a person's skin.
Fortunately, it seems to be growing less. I think my generation is far less prejudiced than my parents' generation, and my kids and grandkids' generations are even less so. Maybe this is wishful thinking, but hopefully in another generation or two it will be gone for good unless the flames keep getting fanned by those who seem to want to keep it alive.
It was horrible what you had to go through, Nomi, in your youth with no excuse for it at all. I do think your mother took the right approach with you, though, by teaching you not to exacerbate an already bad situation. It would only have made those who were already prejudiced against you even more self-righteous in their beliefs had you acted up. Jim
Comment Written 29-May-2023
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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Exactly. I believe that those who expressed extreme anger when the odds were clearly against them only led to their harm.
Comment from barbara.wilkey
Thank you for sharing this story with us. I never witnessed prejudice until we were stationed in South Carolina and that was in 2002. You need to insert the lines for the paragraph separations.
"Where you headed son?" (comma after 'headed')
"Where you goin' boy?" (comma after 'goin')
She then told me that if I did not object to eating in the kitchen, I could be fed, I was agreeable to that, (omit the first 'that' & period after 'fed')
The Mason-Dixon line, also called the Mason and Dixon line or Mason's and Dixon's line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (part of Virginia until 1863). This line never went as far as the Midwest.
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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Thank you for sharing this story with us. I never witnessed prejudice until we were stationed in South Carolina and that was in 2002. You need to insert the lines for the paragraph separations.
"Where you headed son?" (comma after 'headed')
"Where you goin' boy?" (comma after 'goin')
She then told me that if I did not object to eating in the kitchen, I could be fed, I was agreeable to that, (omit the first 'that' & period after 'fed')
The Mason-Dixon line, also called the Mason and Dixon line or Mason's and Dixon's line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (part of Virginia until 1863). This line never went as far as the Midwest.
Comment Written 29-May-2023
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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Thank you Barbara. Your research is impressive. As are your editorial directions.
Comment from nancy_e_davis
I can only imagine what it was like to be black back in the day. I was raised in Mt Vernon Illinois and we had good relations with our Black Community. Not perfect, but not a lot of trouble either. When I was in Grade school a group of us white children were bullied by a group of older black youths on the way to and from school, however by the time I reached High School we were all going to the same school and cheering the hero's both black and white. Good job nomi. Nancy:)
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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I can only imagine what it was like to be black back in the day. I was raised in Mt Vernon Illinois and we had good relations with our Black Community. Not perfect, but not a lot of trouble either. When I was in Grade school a group of us white children were bullied by a group of older black youths on the way to and from school, however by the time I reached High School we were all going to the same school and cheering the hero's both black and white. Good job nomi. Nancy:)
Comment Written 29-May-2023
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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Thank you Nancy. Progress even in small doses is always welcome.
Comment from Ric Myworld
Well, even so many years later, it's still hard for me to imagine that anyone could be treated with disrespect simply for things beyond their control. I guess I was lucky, as my parents that all people are the same in the eyes of God. And no, they weren't religious, they just believed people should be judged on their own merit. Thanks for sharing.
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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Well, even so many years later, it's still hard for me to imagine that anyone could be treated with disrespect simply for things beyond their control. I guess I was lucky, as my parents that all people are the same in the eyes of God. And no, they weren't religious, they just believed people should be judged on their own merit. Thanks for sharing.
Comment Written 29-May-2023
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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Thank you for sharing a positive memory from your own past.
Comment from Bill Schott
I, of course, had no racial friction when I travelled through the South, but had to compose myself while others expressed their personal thoughts. It was quite uncomfortable for me, being from Michigan. The North is no prejudice-free place, but not as blood-soaked to the core like the Deep South, where being a bigot is an expectation.
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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I, of course, had no racial friction when I travelled through the South, but had to compose myself while others expressed their personal thoughts. It was quite uncomfortable for me, being from Michigan. The North is no prejudice-free place, but not as blood-soaked to the core like the Deep South, where being a bigot is an expectation.
Comment Written 29-May-2023
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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Thanks Bill. Even today in what should be an enlightened age, violent acts of hatred persists.
Comment from Mary Vigasin
A remarkable and well-written story told in great detail. I wish I could say that it was isolated treatment, but in 1967 my husband was in Texas, and he as a Jew, and the black members of his outfit had to go through basic training twice. He says the only decent person who gave him a break was a black sergeant.
I find it remarkable and sad was the conductor. While in the South, he played the expected game of treating you as a subhuman, but then when the train crossed the Mason Dixon line, his character changed and greeted you.
At 18 you showed you more maturity, bravery and character than the conductor.
Well done.
Mary
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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A remarkable and well-written story told in great detail. I wish I could say that it was isolated treatment, but in 1967 my husband was in Texas, and he as a Jew, and the black members of his outfit had to go through basic training twice. He says the only decent person who gave him a break was a black sergeant.
I find it remarkable and sad was the conductor. While in the South, he played the expected game of treating you as a subhuman, but then when the train crossed the Mason Dixon line, his character changed and greeted you.
At 18 you showed you more maturity, bravery and character than the conductor.
Well done.
Mary
Comment Written 29-May-2023
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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The argument many make is "I was only doing my job." My question is, how will you explain to God, why your job was more important than obeying his commandment to treat each fellow as your brother.
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I totally agree. Sadly, many profess their Christianity but do not practice it when it comes to their fellow man.
Comment from June Sargent
It is sad that this experience you had is not unique. Since the '60's the world has not changed much. Hatred and prejudice. still exists. I know. I'm Asian. The pandemic brought the hatred out. Like your mom, my mom taught me not to over react. And it has kept me safe. Kudos to you for taking this opportunity to make people aware through your writing.
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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It is sad that this experience you had is not unique. Since the '60's the world has not changed much. Hatred and prejudice. still exists. I know. I'm Asian. The pandemic brought the hatred out. Like your mom, my mom taught me not to over react. And it has kept me safe. Kudos to you for taking this opportunity to make people aware through your writing.
Comment Written 29-May-2023
reply by the author on 29-May-2023
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Thank you. I was saddened to learn that we as a people have learned so little. At a time when we should be pulling together, we allow hate mongers to pull us farther apart than ever.