My story is about my grandmother. She was born in Mobil, Alabama in the late 1930s. This was a very racist time in American history. My grandmother can recall very vividly how segregated everything was at that time. She has told me many stories of how she was not allowed inside certain places and of people being rude to her because of her race. She once told me a story about when she was little and she saw the segregated water fountains and she really wanted to know what the water at the white drinking fountain tasted like, so she made sure no one was looking and she tried the water in the whites-only drinking fountain. She said that she was very surprised that the water tasted exactly the same as the water in the colored only drinking fountain. When my grandmother got older she decided that she wanted a better opportunity for herself so she packed up everything and moved to California to pursue nursing.  She moved to a house on Cimarron in Inglewood, California and this is where she still lives today. She raised two children and took care of four grandchildren in that house. This is why I have a picture of the street sign because it symbolizes the better life and path she created for herself. 

– JaNae White

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant