People

           

We started a new book this week. It is a memoir titled “Brown Girl Dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson. Woodson writes in free verse on different topics described under each heading. I have enjoyed reading the first part of it. Even with the verses, it has been easy to read and follow. The person sitting next to me on the bus today recognized the book and started a conversation about it. She also liked it and is a student in the elementary education program.

            Woodson is African American and the third child, born in 1963. Her father decides to name her “Jack” after him. Woodson’s mom edits the name to “Jaqueline” to make sure that it stays in the feminine form. The family lives in the North, residing in Columbus, Ohio. Woodson’s mom, Mary Ann, is originally from Greenville, South Carolina. Every winter, Mary Ann and her three children return to Greenville. Eventually, Mary Ann and the children stay in Greenville after Mary Ann and Jack end their relationship. They live in the same house where Mary Ann grew up, with her parents.

           

The topics Woodson writes about includes what she learned about her family’s history, playing only with her siblings, and why they considered traveling at night to be safer. Woodson weaved all of this with the undercurrent of the different marches. Over a hundred years later and segregation had only ended on paper, not in practice. I liked the description of the lady next door who would have been fired if she marched. Instead of marching, she made sure to provide full dinners and social time for those who did, to help them stay strong and alert. In the description, once people began to arrive, the blinds and the doors both closed, keeping everything private. Anybody wandering by probably would not think twice about it.

           

I really liked when Woodson described different interactions with people in town. She mentions her mom or grandmother not interacting with certain businesses because they treated customers different. At one store, for example, someone specifically follows any African-American customers to make sure they are not stealing. The fabric store, on the other hand, is completely opposite. As customers, they are not treated by their race and instead are treated like people. People, treated like people. What a basic concept. Yet in the fight to have equality, we are constantly reminded of all our different labels – race, gender, etc – possibly making it sound racist to state that those labels don’t matter. That’s not exactly what I am stating. I embrace and want to learn about people, and those factors can be characteristics. They are also thought of stereotypically. It’d be like stating that since I am a woman I want to get married, stay home, and have lots of kids. Instead, getting to know someone as a person, you would probably find out something completely different. People being treated like people...YES!