In this sixth part of this series of excerpts from Essie Mae Washington Williams' autobiography, Dear Senator: A Memoir of the Daughter of Strom Thurmond, I bring you some of her segregated world. During their first meeting after the birth of Essie Mae's son she recollected, "...he kept it cool and formal. The most he… Continue reading Multi-Racial Read #15: Dear Senator Part VI
Tag: Strom Thurmond
Multi-Racial Read #14: Dear Senator Part V
This is the fifth in a series of excerpts from Dear Senator: A Memoir by the Daughter of Strom Thurmond. Strom Thurmond secretly visited his daughter throughout her college years. Soon after Thurmond lost his bid for the presidency in 1948 and Essie Mae's mother died, Essie Mae confronted him on some of his pervasive… Continue reading Multi-Racial Read #14: Dear Senator Part V
Multi-Racial Read #13: Dear Senator- Part IV
When Strom Thurmond assumed the gubernatorial office in January 1947, Essie Mae was one of a select group of students from South Carolina State University who attended. As she looked at the family who surround him she thought, I wanted to be up there on the podium with them. This was my family, but I… Continue reading Multi-Racial Read #13: Dear Senator- Part IV
Multi-Racial Read #12: Dear Senator- Part III
In the previous posts in this series, I shared excerpts from Dear Senator: A Memoir of the Daughter of Strom Thurmond that covered Essie Mae's early years. This post includes some of her struggles with her racial identity. During her nursing training at Harlem Hospital Essie Mae attended Reverend Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.'s church, the Abyssinian… Continue reading Multi-Racial Read #12: Dear Senator- Part III
Multi-Racial Read #11: Dear Senator Part II
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Multi-Racial Read #10: Dear Senator Part I
When I packed DearSenator: A Memoir by the Daughter of Strom Thurmond in my backpack for a recent trip from Charlotte to Los Angeles, I had no idea that my journey west would replicate one that Essie Mae Washington-Williams took sixty years ago. But the replication process, although interesting and similar, was one of geography… Continue reading Multi-Racial Read #10: Dear Senator Part I