A half hour later, she tip toed past the chowkidar’s chair as he stood in the garden, cigarette in hand, flirting with the cook.

Portrait of late Black actor of TV and film, Beah Richards by self-taught artist, Miss Lillie B. West courtesy of author Nikky Finney.

Jenny and her spiritual talk. She was always searching for meaning in everything, especially when it came to animals and nature. She got her information from these cards she bought at a new-age store in Toombul. It was run by an old woman with dreadlocks, had rows upon rows of crystals and the whole place smelled of incense.

If she came up with a six-foot tall white man, Manmie would officially flip her shit and later tell Daddy and Matante, “Vonnie, sans announce, bring a white man to my house.”

In many ways, even in 2012, life here was the same as it was fifty years ago: a patchwork of citizens—from farmers and business people to college students—going about their days as any other, separate and unequal.

Looney had told all the kids in the neighborhood that Granny was organizing an event at the recreation center in the Jordan Downs Projects. Most older kids couldn’t risk attending due to gang affiliation, but Sienna wore neutral colors and had a good time.