Abigail

December 24, 1952

My name is Abigail Hunt, Abby for short. I'm fourteen, and I live in North Carolina, right on the coast. It's beautiful here, and even more beautiful now that we have abolished slavery but began to use the Jim Crow laws to show African Americans that they might not work for us anymore, but we are still superior to them.

Elijah

December 24, 1952

My name is Elijah Whitaker. I am fourteen years old, and I come from North Carolina. Near the coast. I used to be a slave for a white family, the Hunt family. Now that slavery is abolished, I do not work for them anymore, however I am still not happy though you would think I would be. Even though I do not work for them anymore, I am still not equal to them because of the Jim Crow laws.

Abigail

December 28, 1952

My life is fantastic. There is no more slavery, which is great, because I despised slavery. I knew it was wrong. But, even though I despised slavery, I still didn't want the colored folks to be equal to us white folks. I don't think they deserve to be. So I'm very glad that the Jim Crow laws are in place, so that I get everything I want. No slavery, but no equality either.

Elijah

December 28, 1952

When slavery was abolished, we were promised equality. But it did not happen. We are still nowhere close to being equal to the white folk in this country, and I do not think we will ever be close to equal. You see, they do not want us to be equal to them, so unless there is a colored president sometime, it will never happen. We will always be different from them.

Abigail

January 08, 1953

Today, I saw the boy who used to be a slave to my family at the drinking fountain in town. Of course, he was using the colored drinking fountain and I the white, but I still saw him. His name is Elijah. He saw me, I know he did, but he acted as if he didn't know me at all. I don't know why, because he doesn't even work for us anymore. Is he just upset because he isn't as good as me, according to our country's laws?

Elijah

January 08, 1953

I saw Abigail Hunt, the only child my age in the family I used to work for, in town today. I know that I should have said something to her, but I did not. I could not, because I am afraid of acting in a way that is wrong. You see, being a colored person there are many factors to think of, and many things could go wrong. Especially when you feel so much resentment towards her family as I do.

Abigail

January 09, 1953

Again today I saw Elijah in town, but this time I was buying a Coca-Cola from a vending machine at the white diner. He was standing just outside the door, and I waved him over to me. He didn't come inside the diner, so I walked out to him, and he seemed nervous. I tried to be nice even though I'm superior, tried to give him the soda, but he shook his head and ran off. Why does he act so strange?

Elijah

January 09, 1953

I made many mistakes today. I almost walked into a white diner, then talked to a white person in public, almost made contact with them, and stood in a white part of town. Had I been seen, I probably would have been put into prison. I must be more careful, or I will be in loads of trouble.