The year Yolanda Gladden was born, the United States looked much different than it does today. The country’s cars, clothes, land, and even laws reflected old ideas- some were classic, and others were simply cold.
Yet in that same year, on March 5, 1954, the US Supreme Court unanimously decided that separating children in public schools based on the color of their skin was no longer legally allowed. They called it the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision. The world seemed to be changing.
And in Farmville, Virginia, Carrie Jefferson’s world was growing. Yolanda was the first of mama Carrie’s three children. She was born with beautiful brown skin and a crown of coily deep brown hair.
After Yolanda came her sister, Heldort, followed by a baby brother, Alexander. Growing up, Yolanda and her siblings knew not to mix too much in grown folks’ business. They had their own business to mind, like collecting firewood, setting the table for dinner, and making up fun games to play between chores.
But every now and then, Yolanda would catch bits and pieces of her mama’s conversations with her aunt Dorothy and uncle Tank. They’d talk about everything under the sun: recipes, religion, right and wrong. There was talk of love and of new laws.
In fact, Yolanda picked up a lot from paying attention to her family, her friends, and people in her neighborhood.
She learned how to swap five cents for a Mary Jane from Uncle Tank’s convenience store. Yolanda would slurp down her favorite fizzy drink with such speed and satisfaction that Uncle Tank nicknamed her “Soda.”
She learned that a new hairdo could make anyone look and feel like a queen at Aunt Magnolia’s beauty salon.
And every day at home, Yolanda learned from watching her mother sew the entire family’s clothes by hand that it didn’t take a lot of money to look and feel like a million dollars.
Watching her family members taught Yolanda how to carry herself–
head high, shoulders back, spine straight. Proud.
Comprehension Questions
1. What year was Yolanda born?
A. 1954
B. 1955
C. 1952
2. How did the country change in 1954?
A. The Supreme Court decided it was legal to separate children based on the color of their skin.
B. The Supreme Court decided it was illegal to separate children based on the color of their skin in public schools.
C. The Supreme Court decided it was illegal to separate children based on the color of their skin in any public spaces.
A. The Supreme Court decided it was legal to separate children based on the color of their skin.
B. The Supreme Court decided it was illegal to separate children based on the color of their skin in public schools.
C. The Supreme Court decided it was illegal to separate children based on the color of their skin in any public spaces.
Your Thoughts
3. Did you like this excerpt? Why or why not?
Vocabulary
4. List any vocabulary words below.