About Me

Sheltered by loving parents, grandparents and other family and friends, I was unaware of the ugliness of segregation until I reached junior high school.

I thought my grandmother preferred sitting in the first seat behind the rear exit of the bus because it provided quick egress. That was OUR seat and I went straight for it whenever I rode the bus with her. Little did I know, the choice was not ours!

Albert H. Hill Junior High provided my first flagrant memories of bigotry as well as the experience of standing my ground!

My 10th grade homeroom teacher at Thomas Jefferson (1969), surrounded by my white classmates, challenged me on the validity of my home address. I challenged her for inquiring.

• One of 15 African Americans to charter first predominantly African American sorority at University of Virginia - Kappa Rho Chapter / Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (1973)
• One of first two African American contestants in Miss Chesterfield Beauty Pageant (1972)
• Huguenot High School’s first African American Homecoming Queen (1971)
• Huguenot High School’s first African American Varsity Cheerleader (1970)
• One of six African American students to integrate Albert H. Hill Junior High School (1966)

I have experienced being the proverbial “only fly in the ointment” in corporate settings and had my ethnicity questioned for no other reason than the desk I sat behind or the manner in which I carried myself and spoke.

Current events, history, and life experiences of having been born and raised in a segregated community as well as my introduction to integration through education and employment are inspirations for my writing.

With each passing year, I find it easier to express my perspectives regarding current events, history, and their effects on my personal life experiences as well as their effects on those around me. 

Many years ago, a friend told me she had learned something important about me--'if she was not prepared to hear the truth, she should not ask the question!'