My personal story was written to show and relate the experiences I had working as an executive in Southwest Georgia in the late nineties through 2009. I heard stories from my in-laws about the experiences they had growing up in the South, but I never believed it would happen to me. I grew up thinking that because of my education, life was going to be easy for me and my family. I had not experienced this form of discrimination in my entire life, due to the fact that I was raised by white people from the age of fifteen to twenty-four. I felt it only happened to individuals who were lazy and wanted to blame their circumstances on others. I knew it would not happen to me because my husband was a successful lawyer licensed in three states; my in-laws were doctors; and I had a great education. Needless to say, I found out when we moved to Georgia - even after associating with the President of the United States and the likes of the founder of Habitat for Humanity International - it was obvious that I was still colored.
