Thanks for another insightful piece. The story of what your mother went through is heartbreaking. And all too real. Especially for that time.

Your story reminds me of what James Baldwin said about the N-word. To paraphrase, "Since I've always known that I am not a nigger, then who is the white man talking about when he uses that word? He's obviously talking about something within himself. The nigger is something he needs. Which raises the question, why does the white man need a nigger?" And one another, too. Why does he feel the need to project that onto me?

Thanks for writing this brief but brilliantly insightful piece.