Slue Foot: A Black Girl Grows Up in Midwest America
Daddy had one more story to tell about when he was a little boy. We didn’t ask him to tell us this one. He liked telling it anyway. “Der wuz dis big famly jes lak us, but dey wun’t po lak us. I seed dem girls in dey pressed white dresses always carrying theirselves lak dey wuz somebody. Der wuz five girls. Dey looked smart, went ta school everyday, an wuz at church evey Sunday. Dey had dey heads up high, an dey wuz real intelligent lookin. Dey got in dey wagons, set up strait behind dey parents, an went home. I never seed dem run ‘round wit nobody, ‘specially dem ‘no-good ’ boys. Dey wuz beautiful. When I seed dat, I use ta wish dat wuz my family. I say dats wat I wont my family ta be lak, an dat’s wat I wont my chillun ta be lak.”
