For many Black Californians, skepticism and hope over reparations
LOS ANGELES — Carolyn Peters grew up during a time when Compton was a mostly white middle-class suburb, and she was part of her generation's vanguard, as one of the first Black students to integrate the city's Roosevelt Middle School. Their reception was cold and often cruel.
"There were teachers that had problems with Black children there. And we met resistance not only from other children but from their parents," Peters said, recalling that era almost 60 years ago.
Teachers insisted that Black students use salutations like "sir" or "ma'am," but allowed white students to reply to their questions with a simple "yes" or "no." In Peters' opinion, educators appeared to prefer working with white children. She spent 38 years as a teacher, trying to rectify that.
In town, Black women had to wear dresses or face persecution, Peters remembers. And she and her peers were not allowed to sit anywhere but upstairs while watching movies at the Compton theater.
Still Peters is proud of the life
