In the very beginning, Essie paints a vivid picture of what her living quarters looked like when she was young. At the time, she lived with her mother, Toosweet, and her father, Diddly on a plantation owned by Mr. Carter, where other slaves farmed. She described her house as resembling more of a “shack” lacking electricity and plumbing. Although Essie’s parents tried their best to make it livable, the shack was still dilapidated. The other slaves lived in similar …show more content…
Housing was often run-down and lacked things we’d consider essentials. Although people were starting to fight for African-American rights, they were still struggling with racists especially in the south. The fear of dying kept African-Americans on their toes. Essie saw this as surrendering instead of fighting for their right to be human. She became conscious of the race war that surrounded her and was intrigued. She was a bright young woman with a lot of potential and she knew she didn’t want to waste it. Essie Mae is an inspiration for