A Long Way from Where I Been
from Jim Crow Mississippi to the Gold Coast of Chicago
by
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1952: Bound for the Promised Land
During my seventy years on this planet, many changes have taken place in my life. So gradually and slowly they came, I hardly noticed them. But, over time, the changes were there — changes in my situation, changes in my outlook on life, changes in my behavior, and changes in my goals. However, the greatest change in my life took place in a matter of minutes, the moment I had looked forward to for as long as I can remember, a change for which I will always be grateful, a change for which I have thanked my Maker thousands if not millions of times.
This change took place on
After waiting for all the white folks to leave the “white” waiting room and board the train, I, along with about twenty other African Americans, filed out of the waiting room for “colored.” Of the dozen or so passenger cars, the first two or three were for whites and the rest for Black folks. To make sure no Blacks entered the cars for whites, a conductor guarded the doors. I boarded one of the segregated cars and took a window seat, ending my nineteen years of growing up in the South.
In a short time, the train was speeding toward Chicago, the “promised land"-though not fast enough as far as I was concerned, it was delivering me out of
The children of
Staring out the window with my forehead pressed against the glass, I saw green oak and pine trees flash by, looking darkly beautiful, the hues of each complementing the other. Miles and miles of beautiful green cotton fields disappeared into my past, fields which in about four months, would become a waving sea of white cotton, ready to be picked, something I’d done since I was eight years old. Acres and acres of green corn fields flashed by which, in about three months, green ears of corn would appear on the stalks, ready to be boiled or fried, the delicious taste of which I will never forget. In about six months, the corn fields would turn into a forest of tan, tassel-topped stalks with ears of corn on each, ready to be harvested, something I’d had many years of experience doing.
This was the first time I had noticed the awesome beauty of the trees and the sprawling fields. This, perhaps, was because I was blinded by the endless years of hard work that my seven siblings and I had done on Papa’s farm.
I began to feel a little sad that I had not enjoyed this beauty before, but with my body filled with so many positive emotions, there was no room for sadness. Those days of hard work in the fields were gone forever. Most of all, I was elated because I would no longer have to live under Mississippi’s bitter Jim Crow laws and other racial injustices. Also, I would be with my sisters and brothers again, those who had already mo
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About the Book
In 1952, at the age of nineteen, Roosevelt Richards left Mississippi for Chicago. Having grown up under the South’s unmerciful racial injustices, he was entering adulthood with serious deficiencies in his preparedness. A Long Way From Where I Been is an exemplary story of how Today, there is a huge number of high school and college students, as well as young and middle-aged adults who are pessimistic about a better life in their futures. As a result, they lack the inspiration and motivation to even try to reach higher grounds. For such people, this book is a must read. Roosevelt’s story illustrates the importance of faith, moral values, and good character, as well as how to acquire, develop, and apply these qualities to every aspect of one’s pursuit of success. Also the importance of perseverance will become crystal clear to readers as they follow Roosevelt struggling for nine years to get a college education and, afterward, striving for nearly a half century to overcome the racial injustices that stood in the way of the attainment of his life goals. Readers will be motivated and inspired by both his work ethics and achievements. They will also benefit from Roosevelt’s common sense approach to success in both his professional and personal life. Of greater importance, perhaps, readers will acquire an understanding of the process of becoming an entrepreneur from conceptualizing to actualizing a successful business, and many will be motivated to do so.
About the Author
In 1933, Roosevelt Richards was born in
Roosevelt taught school for a little more than four years before taking a job as a sales representative with a major educational publishing company. Being the first and only Black representative, he worked hard and smart, not to please his boss but to prove to himself that he could succeed in the white, corporate world. Not only did he succeed, he excelled. This resulted in his quickly moving up the corporate ladder of success through continual promotions. In these various positions, he developed a thorough understanding of the publishing industry as well as an interest in writing. Consequently, he formed his own publishing company, developing supplemental materials for elementary and high school students. In addition to financial success, Roosevelt’s company enabled him to make significant contributions to the education of children and enabled him to devote time and resources to philanthropic causes.
Roosevelt is now seventy-two, retired and enjoying the rest of his life traveling with his wife between his homes in Chicago and Florida, writing, playing golf, and supporting benevolent causes.