I was told by a wonderful woman who had married a negro man after falling in love with him during the 1940s. She met him in Pittsburg, PA, and later moved to Chicago, IL for the safety of their family. Her father was filled with bitterness and anger and defaced her from the will. He disowned her and no longer considered her a member of the family. She was Iris and German; her husband was negro and Blackfeet Indian. She never saw her mother or father again. A sister once visited her in Los Angeles, CA, sometime after the family moved there and settled, after WWII.
She spoke often of the hurt she endured being driven from the family. Her mother bore her own pain and struggled with the decision of her husband to reject their daughter and grandchildren. It was prejudice and systemic racism that destroyed this family. This same hatred also destroyed many other families over the years in America and in many other countries. This couple was my parents. Mommy cried on many occasions during my young life because of her father’s decision to reject her, our dad, and their four children.
My grandparents missed out on many hugs from their daughter’s loving children. Mother missed her family and still loved them deeply. Sadly the families of many Americans have lost the blessings of being loving grandparents and holding their grandchildren. This is not due entirely to the pandemic, but, a more terrible disease corroding their hearts and souls – the evils of racism. We need to pray for families undergoing similar pain and suffering. Mother died while still being estranged from her family, but alive in Christ.