Snippet of conversation overheard on the bus this morning, between an elderly lady and a middle-aged man:
Lady: We had to have our own neighborhood back then, you know.
Man: In a lot of ways I think that was better. We were more independent that way.
Lady: Oh yes.
They were talking about segregation.
To me, hearing people wax nostalgic for the days of segregation is like hearing women extoll the virtues of the harem. It’s jarring, disconcerting, to think that there are people who would actually prefer it. I understand that the economic boom in this city is leaving many disenfranchised and discontented, but to prefer a day when your options were even more severely limited? How can that be better?
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
As one of the founding editors of We Love DC, Jenn’s passions are theater and cocktails. After two decades in the city, she’s loved every quirky, mundane, elegant, rude minute of her DC life. A proud advocate for DC’s talented drinks scene, she’s judged the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s ARTINI contest, the DC Rickey Month contest, the Jefferson Hotel’s Quill Cocktail competition, and is a founding member of LUPEC DC. A graduate of Catholic University’s drama program, she toured the country as a member of National Players, and has been both an actor and a costume designer before jumping the aisle to theater criticism. Writing for We Love DC restored her happiness after a life-threatening illness, and she’s grateful to you, dear readers. Send your suggestions to jenn (at) welovedc (dot) com and follow her on Twitter.
