Riding the streetcar. New Orleans, 1955.
Riding the transit in New Orleans was pleasant, 7 cents a ride and most people did it. Whether streetcar or bus, the back of each seat had 2 holes used to place a wooden sign which said, “FOR COLORED ONLY.” This sign could be moved to accommodate the racial mix of the riders, with colored at the back.
Yesterday, those signs could be moved by any rider to any seat on the bus. Today, the day the integration order goes into effect, the signs are gone. People speculate the worst. But, in fact, for much longer than anyone expects, colored go to the back and white go to the front. The freedoms granted take time to overcome the habits of generations.
I rode those streetcars to college every day. New Orleans, 1963.
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