I stayed with a woman on welfare and her granddaughter who got pregnant while I was there. The second night there was a huge noise and a car pulled up with one of the hot babes of the town and her boyfriend. They wanted to “see the white boy” and we went to the Tastee-Freez.

I worked in a drug store and the owner’s daughter had been killed in an auto accident. The hatred that emanated from him was just palpable. We went to a white Baptist church where the minister was waving his Bible and ranted about some girl who was raped. You felt the whole congregation–you were afraid they’d go out and kill every black person. The week later we’d go out with Perry McNeal to the black church where they were singing their songs. One woman ordered from Kellogg’s cereal a 125-square-inch tapestry. They had this blind faith somehow Christ would make their lives better.

Joe Standart '73