Are there any Quora users who vividly remember the segregated South? If so, what are your most memorable recollections?
First I would like to point out that segregation was not just limited to the South. I grew up in Southern Indiana, and segregation was alive and well there as well. I was born in 1940, and when I was 9 or 10 years old, my dad took us to a football game at the one “Black” high school that blacks were permitted to attend. My Dad was a part of a group of Jaycees who helped support the school. My mother had a black maid the entire time I lived at home, so I grew up with a black lady as part of my home environment. I am so very thankful she was a part of my life. I never heard any racial slurs at home, but I heard them outside the home all the time. The blacks lived in a neighborhood near the center of town, and were not allowed to purchase a home outside that area. They could work only in menial jobs that paid little.I would also point out that my dad din’t have any black employees. To his credit, he paid the entire amount of our maids FICA and Social Security; nothing was deducted from her pay. When she could not work any longer, she was able to retire with a social security check every month. Later, she became ill, and my mother, a retired nurse, would visit her regularly and take her to the doctor when needed. But believe me that was not the norm.There were no lynchings in Indiana that I was aware of, but they continued in the South and I heard of them from time to time. I vividly remember the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bobby Kennedy, who dared to face the bigots and challenge their activities, while asking only for peace and equal treatment that our Constitution calls for. I was saddened to think of the hatred that accompanied the era, and still feel the same way.I am a Freemason, and the one criticism I had concerning that institution was the lack of black members, and the refusal of Masonic Lodges to recognize the Prince Hall Masons (who are black). Then the Grand Lodges began to recognize Prince Hall Masons, except the Southeastern states, who, as one might expect, continue in their bigotry. I am a Texas Mason, and so very proud that we, as most of the state Grand Lodges, now not only recognize Prince Hall Masons, but also accept people of color, and of various religions into our lodges.
What was your experience traveling in a sleeper compartment on a train?
Back in the day I took a sleeper from London to Edinburgh on my way to the Isle of Skye. I was (and still am) a bit of a train anorak so when I realized that my Britrail student pass allowed a sleeper add-on, I went all-in. I got to see more of the UK, I could take a long train ride and I avoided hotel expenses! Triple win.It was January and although I was in a double sleeper I had the compartment to myself. I stayed up and tried to enjoy the scenery, but given the season it was too dark, even with the lights off.I dozed off but every time the train stopped, I woke up. Spent some quality time on the platform at York, since we had a delay. I finally got to sleep and stayed there after we left York.The train was scheduled to arrive at a Edinburgh at about 530a but I was allowed to continue sleeping until 7 or so. As a tired, jet-lagged college student I gladly slept in.Next thing I knew, the train was moving again, which woke me up. I was too dazed to really think about what was happening but all of a sudden the compartment door burst open and a large conducter started screaming at me. His Scottish accent was so strong that I had no idea what he was saying, but I figured it out pretty quickly. The train was headed to the yard!While he was on the radio stopping the train, I gathered my backpack worth of stuff quickly and he duck walked me to the end of the train.When we got to the last car he opened the door, yelled at me again and I left.Empty platform, empty station, and groggy as hell!My later sleeper trips were much more enjoyable but that was the most unforgettable.PS I never made it to Skye. The track was snowed in and all trains were canceled. Luckily I had a very nice day in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
California or Massachusetts, where should I move, which one is better?
I am planning on moving to either state for a job that I accepted, they are located in Modesto,CA (about nearly 2 hours east of San Francisco), and also in Massachusetts (about 30 minutes from Boston), Im kinda mixed between the two places where I should go, I've never been to the east coast, so I kinda prefer Massachusetts because of that, and the people there I heard are nicer than California, plus my church has a singles group over there too, however Massachusetts is farther from home. California is on my mind since I heard a lot of great things about San Francisco, I have a friend who lives near Modesto, which would be good, the cost of housing would be no big issue since the company is paying for housing, if youre from any one of these locations, what are some cool things to do in these places also, but most importantly, based on the factors I mentioned above, where should I go, please respond honestly, nothing abusive, thanks!!!
Is it a bad idea to move to Revere, MA?
I grew up in Revere and have many fond memories, but just as many not so fond memories of my home town. Revere is and will always be a gritty, charmless place. It is so architecturally hopeless that it has no chance of ever becoming gentrified like the rest of the Boston area. Somerville, Chelsea, Malden, Quincy, Dorchester and even East Boston have improved dramatically in the last 10-15 years while Revere has steeply declined. I think only Everett has fared worse. That said, Revere and Everett serve a purpose in the Greater Boston area as a place for immigrant families to find affordable housing and begin the process of upward mobility that eventually allows them to move someplace else. Initially, Revere was Irish and Jewish, then very Italian, then Cambodian and Vietnamese, and today its largely Brazilian, Dominican, Puerto Rican and even Somalian. The housing stock is very poor in Revere and that's its biggest weakness. The best thing the city officials could do to improve Revere is plant more trees (I swear to you 90% of them are gone from when I was growing up), fix the broken sidewalks, replace the rusted street signs and chain link fences and plant some flowers in the medians so people take more pride in living there. It doesn't have to be the embarrassment it is today.As evidence, here are two pictures I took last year of the modest two-family house I grew up in at the intersection of Park Avenue and Yeamans Street across from Harry Della Russo stadium (also in need of an overhaul).