History Is Not That Long Ago

Had a sobering conversation with my mother yesterday, the day Dolly Parton died. She'd written to the Imagination Library requesting a book for my niece, and was annoyed that they hadn't responded nor explained why. I gently suggested a reason as the program exists to get books into the hands of children in families without the means to purchase books (particularly children's’ books) for their home and/or without a tradition of reading. Thanks to my mother, my brothers and I grew up with stories at bedtime and surrounded by books.

Then it hit me. As a child, my mother herself would definitely have qualified for the program. Both Dolly’s and Lois’s poverty is foundational to the formidable women they became.

How I present, people believe that I am what DuBois titled Talented Tenth. Not incorrect, but I am only one generation away from a home with no children’s books, nor electricity, nor running water.