the woods and roam fields for hours at a time, and they took advantage of it, within the bounds set by the Harris’. These bounds imposed real limitations since the Harris’ were known for their strict code of conduct, a reputation which survived into my day.
In addition to their homework, Charles and the other children had regular chores, including mopping the kitchen floor, raking the yard and clearing fallen apples, and keeping their bedrooms straight. Children were to conduct themselves appropriately and know how to address their elders. Good manners were central
to good living and "yes ma’ms" and "no sirs" were expected. There was a price to pay for infractions and "spare the rod and spoil the child" was more than just a motto for foster children as well as natural born Harris’.
Charles’ years in St. Charles spanned third grade through the first year of high school. Because there were so few blacks, the schools were integrated and Charles became more aware of ethnic differences. Walking or riding a bike was the main form of transportation and passing through neighborhoods delivering newspapers gave him the opportunity to learn their distinct make up. Some near the foundry were Polish or of another European extraction. There was name calling occasionally.
"Usually young folks’ mischief," he explained, "but like they say, words don't hurt you."
The St. Charles years passed intermingling strict rules with climbing mulberry trees, riding bikes along the edge of town, skipping stones from the riverbank, and a notable trip to the World’s Fair in Chicago. Lewis and Charles joined the Boy Scouts of America where patriotic values of loyalty, bravery and service, consistent with their Christian upbringing, were strengthened. The quest for personal challenge carried Charles to the ranks of Eagle Scout. From scouting experiences he gained an enduring sense of the importance of brotherhood and service to others before self.
In years to come, Dad would take his family back to this boyhood home to visit the Harris’. On the ride there he told us how they helped raise him and his sister and brother. It was clear he developed a great affection for them, even as he cautioned us to mind our manners before we got out of the car. To this day I remember the story of Ma Harris smacking a girl "silly" for putting red polish on her toenails after being told not to. I questioned the harsh treatment.
"She should have done what she was told," my father replied. If not before, the healthy respect for discipline which served Charles throughout life was nurtured during his years in St. Charles.
During Charles' sophomore year in high school, his father accepted an AME church assignment and moved his children to Keokuk, Iowa. In 1935, The Great Depression was in full force, but the era was not much different from any other for folks who never had much.
"Life was meager all through these years, whether we're talking Ohio, Illinois or Iowa. In Cleveland we always had food, but not a lot of clothes. What we had was always clean and had patches on it put there by Mama Gay, Mrs. Harris or whoever. We didn't have a lot, never had a lot, but were aware that whatever we had was enough."
To a certain extent poverty, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder.
"We each had a change of clothes...and shoes. I remember putting newspaper in my shoes when I wore a hole in the leather so my feet wouldn't get cold so quickly in the winter time."
It wasn't something that made Charles feel he was on the low end of the social or economic strata. It was just the nature of the times because there was the depression and everybody was suffering along. He knew there were some people who were better off. They had big houses with tennis courts and lived in another part of town, but that wasn't something the McGee family dwelled on.
Neither was racism. Reverend McGee had high ideals and believed in a vision of a world in which people treated each other equally, as brothers and sisters in the sight of God. Not only did he live by this principle, he also passed it on. So, Lewis Jr., Charles and Ruth learned to treat others as they wished to be treated. Ideals set the tone.
It is tempting to believe that being black is the single most defining attribute for a young child in America. What children are led to believe, and more importantly, come to accept about their circumstances, including race and ethnicity, ultimately defines their future.
The reality was most day to day living for Negro youngsters took place separate and apart from mainstream white America. Racial strife was remote for children living among their own people in a closed society. Overhearing comments by adults, they began to conceive of the outside world, but their real frame of reference was closer to home.
That's not to say Charles and other black children were protected from ridicule in their own backyard. Children of all persuasions grasp differences and use them as weapons to gain advantage. Exploitation of differences (height, weight, clothing, accent, background and so forth) is something most people have experienced. Growing up in the black community, being very dark or very light dramatically increases the likelihood of being singled out, teased and in the worst case ostracized. Charles being light-skinned and no exception was tested at a young age.
In Keokuk the picture began to change. He lived in two worlds, going to a predominantly white high school and living on the "colored" east side of town near his Dad's AME church.
Charles was a good student, prior admonitions and strict regimens already paying dividends. He was active in the school chorus and sports, although an early injury permanently ended his football days. Following an ill-fated tackle, he lay on the bottom of the pile and realized something was wrong. When he tried to stand up, pain made the injury obvious. His collar bone was broken. For weeks one arm was bound to his chest while the fracture mended and when healed a knot remained at the site of the break as a permanent reminder.
Basketball became his sport of choice after the football injury. Charles’ love for music also blossomed during high school years. The French horn intrigued him and orchestral
music was thrilling. He would have loved to play in the band, but the cost of an instrument was beyond his means. His voice on the other hand was free. He chose to participate in school chorus, an affinity increased by attraction to a lovely dark skinned girl who was also a member. Charles walked her home once, but as fortune and the girl's parents would have it, their relationship was short-lived.
"On occasion, I wonder what happened to her, " Charles acknowledged wistfully, a strain of music echoing from the past.
According to Charles, dating was different in the 1930s. There was little one on one or even double dating in his crowd. Young people usually did things in groups. A boy and girl may have an eye on each other. The two may even exchange a Christmas card or present. Virginia Tolliver was Charles first real date, a walk home from school. He liked her a lot. She liked him too, but her folks thought her too young for such “goings on.” Although their lives went separate ways, Charles never forgot her.
On hot summer days everyone, white and black, would go to the park for an outing. Blankets would be spread under a big shade tree. People enjoyed jumping into the muddy Mississippi River to cool off on a lazy afternoon.
"If you put your feet down you could feel all the muck, so you'd just jump in the water and start swimming. There wasn't much standing around."
The process of understanding how his race made his life different was under way by high school. Charles’ early education, with few exceptions, took place in predominantly white schools. The number of blacks in St. Charles and Keokuk was so small, all youngsters attended the same school. It was not a conscious attempt to integrate the races; it just wasn't economically feasible to segregate them. Prejudice manifested itself in both overt and subtle ways, neither of which escaped his attention nor that of the other black students.
"Oh sure there was racism," Charles observed without rancor. "There was prejudice in the town, because the town had a theater and you (Negroes) had to sit in the balcony."
About name calling, "Sometimes I'd be called nigger boy by kids on the street."
There were white students who befriended him only to be advised against it by less tolerant classmates. There was the inevitable caution.