My initial impression
of Trudy was based on the first story she had submitted to our
writing class. She had written about a black woman in Oklahoma, in
the early 1900s, who was trying to pass for a white woman. The
characters were all fresh and interesting. They were
individually distinguishable, and the grammar was correct enough that
I felt like I was reading, not deciphering. I thought, man, I'd sure
like to read more by this writer.
So, I set out to find
out which person had submitted that story. I found Trudy. She went on
to tell me that this story was based loosely on her family history. I
stared at this clearly white, middle aged woman. I examined her thin
lips, her short, but undeniably Caucasian nose, her olive skin, and
light eyes. The only thing that remotely suggested mixed race about
this woman was her curly hair...which was blonde.
If Trudy looked at all
like the main character of her story, it must not have been terribly
hard to pass as white.
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