Six months after my birth,  the mid 1940s, my mother packed all six of her children and moved to a small town called Moss Point, to join my father who was already there working at International Paper Company.  This move, from Alabama to Mississippi, was a pivotal event in my family’s  many undertakings. First and foremost, it meant that my parents would no longer be dirt farmers and cotton pickers; and that we would not be reared to one either; breaking a generational chain that had bound our families since they first came to this country as slaves. Secondly, it opened up the possibility of education for us and our generations to come. Last, but certainly not least, it introduced us to a world view that we never could have fathomed had we stayed in Alabama.

Moss Point, a sleepy little town, was unlike any other Mississippi towns. Its location on the Gulf Coast and the industries it attracted (International Paper Company, Ingalls Shipyard, Standard Oil,  a booming seafood industry) gave it a disproportionate share of Mississippi’s economic and cultural resources. Moss Point’s proximity to New Orleans, Mobile and Pensacola, Florida added to its economical and cultural strengths as well. But most importantly, insteading of laboring in someone’s cotton field every day, like most Black Mississippi children, most kids in Moss Point went to school every day, just as we did. All ten of us. 

My nine siblings  and I grew up under the ethical rutledge of our father, the religious guidance of our mother, and the watchful eyes of both of our biological parents. Magnolia Elementary and High school and First Baptist Church were the key edifices in our lives. These institutions have served me well. I now live in Fayetteville, Georgia.

With the coming of 2023, I decided to take a deep dive into a quandary that has haunted my family for a generation. Unpacking the cultural, social and legal implications of this dilemma , and ultimately, a historical truth, is my self appointed endeavor. So even when I am gardening, or traveling, or caregiving for a disabled family member, I will be sharing my  progress, ideas, and thoughts about  this quandary, life, ancestry, legacy and lineage on sarasfountainpen.com.

“Then Lord, teach me thy way, O Lord: I will walk in thy truth”.   Psalm 86;11