New Year, New Things!!!
Tony had been working at his new job in Charleston, West Virginia for about 6 months. It was now December 2016 and he’s been away from his family too long. Tony missed being with them. He and his wife planned for the family to move with him in the new year. Diana is a stay at home mother of 3 children and is married to her first love.

January 2017
Waking up in the morning for their 1st day of their new schools. All the children had their clothes laid out, shoes by the door, and book bags full of notebooks. They were starting in the middle of the school year. Derien stretched & said this is about to be the best school year ever. Kendall walked into the living room after showering and getting dress, hey mom she whispered. I am excited to go to school but I am also nervous that I will not find friends. Kendall just wanted to fit in. Wendy rushed to get ready so she could eat breakfast, she did not have a care in the world. Tony rushed downstairs to greet everyone before he left for work. Everyone enjoyed breakfast and Diana dropped the kids off to school. After a long day of work Tony comes home to his wife cleaning and preparing dinner. The children where home doing their homework 📚 and talking about their new schools. Different school, different grades: 6th, 7th, & 10th

A few months has past and the kids seems to be enjoying their new schools. Wendy had started singing lessons, Kendall joined the Cheerleading squad, and Derien was a star player on the Basketball team. The grades were up to par and everyone was happy. Derien met a girl in school. She was white and very pretty. He came home from school one day and told his mom and dad. Tony agreed that it was okay but that he would have to be respectful. They could hang out, but there was an early curfew. They could talk on the phones but not too late on school nights. Her name was Ann Marie. Ann Marie and her parents have been in Charleston, West Virginia since Ann Marie was born.

Ann Marie told her parents that she has a boyfriend. She was the only child, so she got away with a lot of things. She was also very spoiled. Her mom asked well who is this guy. She replied, Derien. He moved here at the beginning of the year. As time moved forward, Dana and Tony wanted to meet Ann Marie. Wendy and Kendall has met her and they really like her. So next Friday is game night, invite her to come watch you play and then we will get pizza afterwards. That night, her mom dropped her off to the game and pizza went great.

Ann Marie’s parents wanted to meet Derien. What Derien didn’t know was that Ann Marie’s parents wouldn’t approve of her dating outside her race. Her mother had absolutely no problems with it, but her father would disapprove of her dating a black man. So mom went along with her husband to keep things calm. Ann Marie talked to her mom one evening and told her her boyfriend was black. Her mom just stared at her. Then, she begged her mom not to tell her dad.

It was now summer break and Ann Marie still has not told her father that her boy friend was black. She wanted to go to the fair to hang out, so Derien asked his dad to take them somewhere. But Derien’s mother volunteered to take them all to the fair. She insisted that her and her husband meet Ann Marie’s parents. Saturday came and Ann Marie decided not to go again. A few weeks later, Derien asked Ann Marie why she never took him to see her parents and why she didn’t go to the fair. She pouted and said she rather not talk about it. He just let it slide and decided to wait until she’s ready to talk about it.

Wendy, Kendall, & Derien was hanging out at the recreation center when Ann Marie called. She wanted to hang out with Derien. Derien explains that he is at the Rec center. So she gets dropped off there & told Derien she needs to tell him something. They sat on the picnic table outside and she began explaining to Derien how her father doesn’t believe in her dating black guys. Derien grew extremely angry. She also went on to tell him how her mom knows and s not said anything. This was really starting to hurt Derien. He could not understand why his girlfriend’s father did not like blacks. He was frustrated that Ann Marie never told him.

Dana was very observant of her family and noticed how they seemed happy but Derien seemed a little disturbed. He would eat dinner as usual but wouldn’t have much to say like he normally does. Diana knew it was time to find out what was wrong with her son. She sent messages to the teacher, to see if they have noticed anything different. All his teachers did not see a difference in him, he acted normal in school as far as they could tell. So at dinner she went around the table and asked everyone how they were feeling and if they had something they needed to talk about. Kendall, Wendy, Dana, & Tony has spoken, but when it was Derien’s turn he grew angry and said yes mom but I need to talk to you and dad ALONE.

Once alone, He explained how Ann Marie told him that her mom approved of him but that she was scared to tell her dad because he don’t like blacks. He went on to say, he was upset because he could not believe that people still thought like that. Tony and Diana was in shocked, they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. They told him everyone has a right to their opinions, but that racism is wrong. They also told him that if he dad does not approve, he should stop talking to Ann Marie because they are still young and have their whole lives ahead of them. Racism will tear you apart and you don’t want to be a victim of any of it. His parents were furious about the situation and needed answers.

So the next morning, they all got up, got dressed and went over to Ann Marie’s house. No calls, No text. They knocked on the door and her dad answers……

-OctaviaLaShea