Pamela Mitchell

In 1964, three weeks before I was born, the Civil Rights Act was passed, and my mother was glad that her daughter would never know a world where she wouldn't be able to go into a restaurant or a theater or use a bathroom just because she was black.

That same year, my grandparents, who were lifelong Baptists, converted to Catholicism.

Yes, that's right.

They wanted their younger children and their grandchildren to have access to a better education, which in their mind meant Catholic, because education was the way to a better life.

So I spent 16 years in Catholic schools.

And I was very studious and serious.

And in fact, I wanted to become a librarian, which in those days was like being a nun for lay people.

But thankfully, I came to my senses on that one.

But still, I had a very, very lonely childhood.

I didn't have any friends.

There weren't any other blacks in my classes.

But one day, the most popular girl in school, Amy Russo, invited me to come to her house after class.

And I was so thrilled.

And I ran home to my mother.

And I said, mama, mama, Amy asked me to come over after class.

Can I go?

Can I go play?

And she said, yes, yes, you can go.

So she took me over there and she dropped me off and I was all thrilled and Amy and I were playing and I was having so much fun and I thought, oh my God, maybe I have a friend now.

And so after about an hour, Amy said, well, you know, let's go down the block and play at Betty's house.