Bessie Delany's Unjust Society

The Delany sisters, Sarah “Sadie” Delany and Annie Elizabeth “Bessie” Delany, born 1889 and 1891, respectively, lived during a time during which a racist society was deemed appropriate. The Delany sisters were able to cope with this unjust society with their own, unique ways. Sadie liked to play dumb, while Bessie preferred confrontation. To me, Bessie’s method was more effective, as she proved that she was proud to be herself, and that she would not be pushed around, while her sister would just take it.
Bessie’s attitude comes from an incident with a neighborhood bully. Bessie recalls the bully calling her scrawny, and saying “You’ve got the skinniest legs and the longest neck I ever did see.” Bessie responded to the girl saying “You ain’t so pretty yourself.” ending the harassment. This incident shows that even from an early age, Bessie was proud to be herself and wouldn’t take peoples harassment or be pushed around.
Bessie’s first incident of racism was while she was with her family during a trip to Pullen Park in Raleigh, just after the Jim Crow Laws were enacted. Bessie was 5 years old. Their family went to get on …show more content…
Bessie enrolled in Columbia University for dentistry. Bessie was the only colored woman there and was discriminated against and made fun of by her fellow peers, such as when she was elected the class marshal so her peers wouldn’t have to be near her while graduating. Upon graduating, Bessie shared a dentistry office with her brother Hap and Dr. Chester Booth. Bessie didn’t have many patients, as she was black, and men, even black men, wouldn’t go to a woman dentist. However, Bessie recalls that “Once she had a patient, they’d always come back.” In 1932, Bessie went to Cuba, with one of her patients named Mary Watson. Bessie, being light skinned, was invited to many clubs and parties, but wouldn’t go without her host, the darker skinned Mary, effectively breaking down some of the race barriers in