Tove In A Dangerous Time

By Norma L. DeBooth

‘This east coast family in a small town inside of Pennsylvania has
lived this reality. Soldiers were honorably deployed, home. The
town was filled with celebration! Although this community was
integrated, some individuals were not accepting integration within
their immediate family. Many open minded liberals formed and
attended an upbeat respectful social named The Salt and Pepper
Club. Here singles could comfortably mingle, date, and plan their
future within matrimony.

A certain young beautiful, intelligent Irish woman was attracted toa
certain handsome brown skin, recently honorably discharged
soldier. They became exclusive while dating. This young couple felt
at ease being in love. Most of the small town folk had accepted
them inside their community, and beyond the Salt and Pepper Club!
‘This soldier's family adored his Irish woman, and agreed with their
engagement, and his marriage proposal to her! She explained to
them, her father is a biased staunch German, whom married his
Irish slave, and continued to mentally and physically enslave her in
front of any one, and anywhere.

‘This led to his daughter's rebellion. She fell in love with the opposite
race of her father. She became in the family way, three times. Her
first two children were boys, the third being a girl! By that time she
thought her father would be accepting, and brought her family to
enjoy with her parents. Her mother was happy and pleased! Her
father exploded with rage, insults and threats of permanent
disassociation, if his daughter wouldn't divorce her brown skin
husband plus give up her children. Out of dependence and instilled
fear, her mother agreed with her German husband, although she
accepted her daughter with her Brown husband and children. The
daughter knew her father would follow through with his threats, so
she secretly put her three beautiful biracial children up for adoption;
because not being disinherited seemed more accepting for her.
Hours later, her husband’s once mint conditioned body was found
beaten nearly to death. The Irish woman laid her husband to rest,
‘moved back into her parent's home, but lost track of her three
children because they've been separated into foster homes.

‘They became adults, found each other, shared foster home
experiences; to present. After her German grandfather had passed
away, she occasionally took their children to visit her mother. Often
she'd explain her life story and of having been married interracially
in the 1950'S, among biased folk who weren't ready to embrace
‘mixed families. She was in love during a dangerous time.
George and Minnie

By Norma L. DeBooth

I met George and Minnie many years ago while volunteering with
Yoke Fellow Prison Ministry, during Sunday worship, at a Salvation
Army. They met while working at a temporary job service and
began dating. George explained to Minnie, his two sisters' and he
were raised in foster care from kindergarten until graduation,
because their parents were substance users, alcoholics and
transients. Throughout their foster care years they suffered all
types of abuse, and were transferred to a different foster home after
each founded abuse case. George and Minnie graduated from high
school with average grades. George attended VoTech programs,
graduating from the Mason Brick and Block class. For many
reasons throughout his school years, he became bitter and began
drinking Vodka and smoking crack. Minnie's life was similar. They
became dependent on each other and their habits. Within their
co-inhabitation three children were born; each addicted to alcohol
and crack. Each birth, Children Service entered the hospital with a
court-order, and took away each baby. Their children weren't
deformed, but suffered brain damage. All through school, they were
in Special Education classes, plus daily were administered several
types of medication for bipolar and other types of psychiatric
disorders. They too were abused inside foster homes, growing up
feeling bitter, insecure and let-down. I was told they did good in
school, but yearned to be in main-stream classes, but sadly
understood why they were not. During the years, George and
Minnie attended Parenting Classes and all types of counsel to regain
their children, but they were still using; missing several scheduled
supervised visits to be with their children. When they did keep their
visitation meetings, alhough tensed with mixed emotion, the
Supervisors noted their love and wanting to be a family living
together. George and Minnie entered several rehabs, but kept using,
failing urine tests. By this time, their children were teenagers nearly
ready to graduate from high school. When 18 years old, foster
children are no longer within the governmental foster care system,
and must fend for themselves. If no one helps them with housing,
Vo-tech, managing daily living essentials, these young adults either
end-up lied-to, molested, homeless, inside prison, in and out of
types of hospitals, repeating their parents’ patterns, addicted or
dead. This is what's been happening throughout the years here
within America: which is very sad, but true.

THROUGH THE STORM
HOLD YOUR HEAD UP HIGH
AND DONT BE AFRAID OF THE DARK
ATTHE END OF THE STORM |
THERE'S A GOLDEN SKY
AND THE SWEET SILVER SONG OF THE LARK.
WALK ON THROUGH THE WIND.
WALK ON THROUGH THE RAIN.

THOUGH YOUR DREAMS
BE TOSSED AND BLOWN |
WALK ON, WALK ON

WITH HOPE |
IN YOUR HEART

| AND YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE

By Norma L. DeBooth

I met Jackie during sewing school. Ilived (1) hour away from school.
So I wouldn't have to daily bus-it, my Grand Mother gave me
permission to sub-rent with Jackie, who was (25) years old, and 1
was (16). The first floor two bedroom apartment was in a nice
Syrian neighborhood. After I settled in, I began preparing breakfast
for both of us. After a few months of waiting for Jackie to come from
the bath room, every day to eat, I began calling her name. That's
when I opened the door and saw her sitting on the commode fully
dressed, asleep, with a needle stuck in her armpit. I froze from sight,
into fear. As I slowly closed the door, the squeak awakened her. I
backed out, past our breakfast. By the time I was near my bedroom,
Jackie approached me saying “Norma, I never thought you'd see me
like this, I'm sorry”. I answered, "Is this why you don't eat breakfast
with me? I this why he and you stay a long time in the bathroom?"
She said yes. I asked her why they went out every night knowing
she had sewing school the next day. She said because he lines up
dates so they have enough for them to o that. She was honest,
telling me she was really from Florida, living with her parents
whorn had legal custody of her ten year old son. She met Hank in
Florida at an amusement park. He promised her a better life, up
North, then she could later bring her son. After a while when Jackie
fell in love with him she found out Hank had brought other women
up North, with the same promise, took them out to meet dates to
pay for their heroin addiction. She began hating Hank, and sneaked
going to sewing school, so she could eventually sneak back to
Florida to be with her son and parents, but was now trapped into
the heroin habit. I told her of Christian things and asked Jackie to
come home with me for the weekend. I thought if I brought her
'home with me, she would not be doing those scary things again. By
Monday morning she bused back without me. Sewing school
graduation came; we graduated. Hank found out and became
furious instead of being happy for Jackie, and furious with me for
taking her away from him for that weekend. I packed-up, moving
back home. Much later I found out they had married, but soon after,
she passed away of an overdose; then shortly after, he passed away
New Years Eve, before his (50th) Birthday, with a needle stuck inside
his arm. I learned about betrayed women, and that although she
longed for a better lifestyle to reclaim her son whom was waiting
for his Mother to come back for him, that heroin addiction, and
promise from her addicted Husband, took them both to an early
grave, leaving their loved ones to mourn.

“Always carry yourself with
dignily and respect.”