Sylvia Anderson
Albuquerque, NM
Raised in Detroit, parents liberal, family on both sides of civil war. Grandfather said “The south likes the black man and hates the black race, north likes the black race and hates the black man. My six words relate to a trip south in 1963. I desperately needed a restroom and saw a bus station. I went in the front door, saw restrooms and went in the first one. When I came out of the stall and as I washed my hands I noticed all the women had frozen in place and a mother had a hand over her small daughters shoulder. I thought it strange and as I left I noticed each door had a rectangle of of lighter wood on the doors. I was back to the car when I busted out laughing, my new husband asked what and I said I think I just unintentionally made a civil rights statement. When I explained he joined my laughter. We were attending Wayne State University which had a large number of black students and civil rights were accepted in our environment. I was clueless in the south.
