More old photos--I can't identify any of the people. Some white folks touring Florida (possibly one of my great aunts)--at Bok Tower and in an orange grove. Accompanied by a Black woman--who, at that time, would not have been allowed at a tourist attraction except as a uniformed adjunct to a white employer.
I love her earrings--and her dignity.
Here she is again. Contrast the expressions of the three women.
The Civil War was long over. But Jim Crow laws in the South meant that Black people were still condemned to a quasi-slavery--which, in turn, enabled whites of modest means to turn over childcare, housekeeping, yard work, and the like to people of color.
Ah, that gracious Southern living--built on inequality and suppression.
What's the story here? A young man stands at attention while a toddler has his picture taken. What were that young man's thoughts? What were his aspirations? What did his future hold?
3 comments:
Creepy times.
The dresses and hats look like the 20s or 30s. Yes the disparity of life opportunities, education and careers were still obvious in the south for blacks. These shots tell a story that deeply saddens me. Actually all the women seem pretty glum.
These days the people doing child care, yard work, and so on are white Spanish-speaking immigrants. They are able to become citizens after a few years of steady employment. The American middle class always seems to need somebody to look down on, and right now it's immigrants.
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