The Girl From 21 Wakullah Street

About the Book

The Girl From 21 Wakullah Street is a memoir about the life of a family of six children with a single-parent mother living, loving, and making the best of their situation. Diane and her family grew up in Roxbury, Massachusetts during the 30’s and 40’s which was Depression and War Time. Roxbury in the 30’s was a poor neighborhood, but a happy one. There were many children to play with and people were happy with what they had. We never felt poor. We were just like everyone else in the neighborhood. The education system was outstanding. Parents made sure their children attended school and did their homework. The Truant Officer was very present if anyone tried to play hooky. We had a beautiful Park, Washington Park, and we played there every day. We played jumprope on the streets and had 15 kids playing with us, even some boys. If anyone had a disagreement, there was always someone to play with. We were part of a neighborhood and felt like we belonged. She and her family were very active in our church, The Salvation Army. Things changed in the 40’s because of the “Second Great Migration.” Many hundreds of Negroes were brought up from the south to live in Roxbury. They were promised housing and jobs in the nearby factories. We who were already in Roxbury fought against these newcomers. They were not welcome at all in our neighborhood and yet, here they were. All of a sudden, we were all living on a battleground. Why couldn’t we have welcomed the newcomers? I’m sure they were not happy about coming to “Yankee Land.” They left their whole lives behind to try to make a living for their families. All we who were already in Roxbury, including the negroes living there, did not welcome the newcomers and because of that, everything changed for the worse.

About the Author

This is the second book written by Rev. Diane Bradshaw. The first book, I Am Arnold, was about her as a caregiver for her retired military husband. He had Alzheimer’s Disease for the last five years of his life. Diane was able, with the help of the Veterans’ Administration, to care for him at their Transitional Care Unit, and for the last two years, at home. This new book, The Girl from 21 Wakullah Street is about Diane’s Family Life, with her five siblings and single-parent mother. Diane and her family lived in Roxbury, Massachusetts which at that time (the 30’s and 40’s) was a poor, hard-working, family neighborhood in a Boston suburb. Diane graduated from Roxbury Memorial High School for Girls in 1951. In 1954 she graduated with a certificate from Boston Clerical School. In later years Diane received a Bachelor of Science degree from Empire State College in New York and a Master of Divinity Degree from Colgate-Rochester Divinity School. She has been an ordained minister for 45 years; first with The Salvation Army and finally with the United Methodist Church. Her appointment before she retired was in Pennellville, New York for eight years. After her retirement she joined Pennellville Church and is very active there.