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I am 73 years old!. I live in Southeast Texas!. We didn't have any Hindus, Chinese, Persians Iraqis, that I know of!. We had segregation and black children went to their schools and we went to ours!. In our school, we had 2 girls who were half Filipino!. also there was a guy who was part Japanese!. Mexican kids went to school with white children!.

One of the girls that had a Filipino father graduated from high school with me in 1952!. She married a brown haired, blue eyed, freckled face boy who graduated with us!.

You have to understand that back before the Jim Crow laws were done away with, most southern cities and towns only had black and white people of colonial American ancestry!.Even the Southern states that were not one of the 4 that were part of the original 13, had people who migrated from Virginia, to the Carolinas to Georgia, to Alabama to Arkansas or Texas!. It is only in the past 40 years or less that the there has been a large amount of Hindus Persians,people from the Middle East and Orientals!.!. There were Chinese in some of the larger cities like in California and in New York City!. Border areas had Hispanics!.


We did have some Syrian, Lebanese families in Beaumont and still do!. They actually have their own Orthodox church!. They went to school and lived in the same neighborhood as the rest of us called white!. That is a funny description because anybody actually that is white would look something like Casper!.

We, as a rule, did not have white ethnic neighborhoods!. We had a sizable amount of Jews and Italians and they lived among all of us, except for one street that use to be outside the city limits and was an Italian truck farming area!.

Back in the days befoe supermarkets forced out of business family owned grocery stores, a large portion of the family owned grocery stores were Italian owned!.

Now, there is a funny story!. The Italians established their own parish chuch!. It wasn't a territorial parish!. Long after most Italians belonged to territorial parishes, the church remained very active!. It was said that people from one part of Italy sat on one side of the church and people from another part of Italy sat on the other side!. The parish was shocked when a fella and a girl from opposite sides of the church decided to get married!. They had a meeting with the nervous parents!. Finally, the question came up that really bothered them!. What side of the church are you going to sit on!?
They had a marvelous solution!. They said they would take turns sitting on one side one Sunday and the other side the next Sunday!. Ingenious wasn't it!?

The only time I know of a white ethnic neighborhood is one I lived in in San Antonio!. I had an apartment in a home!. There was an Orthodox Synagogue close by and Orthodox Jews cannot use any type of transportion on the Sabaoth!. Therefore they have to have their own neighborhood!.

In San Antonio it was according to whether you were a Spanish colonial or an immigrant from Mexico!. Those that were Mexican immigrants or descended from Mexican immigrants lived mostly in west side San Antonio due to economics!. However, Texas had been a Spanish governed territory and a large portion of the Spanish speaking people there could speak English very well and were not segregaged from Anglos!. Spain established a colony in San Antonio deBexar in 1731!. They joined the soldiers and their families from the Spanish presidio there to form the town of San Antonio!. I know kids up north are taught a gross error that Spain never established any colonies!. However, they definitely did at San Antonio de Bexar!.also for 15 years Texas was part of Mexico!. So if you are ever in San Antonio, don't get smart *** if you hear people speaking Spanish!. Many of their ancestors were there way before any English speaking people were in Texas!. Their ancestors are not descended from immigrants to the U!. S!. They have more right to speak Spanish there than you have the right to speak English there!.

Back then they classified people as Anglo, Spanish or Black!. Anglo specifically means English!. However, anybody of European ancestry, excluding Spain, was classified as an Anglo!. I questioned this and was told it was because of their first language!. Actually, a friend of mine who was of Italian ancestry laughed and told me, "Shirley, I am an Anglo!."

However, black people speak English also!. In the Houston area, they classify school kids as Anglo White and Anglo Black!. I have a niece that taught school in the Houston area and she had to note in her records AB or AW!.

Now, Louisiana is another story!. French and Cajun French were already in Louisiana before France sold the territory to the U!.S!. So they are not descended from immigrants to the U!. S!. either!.
In the Northern part of Louisiana, they have people who proudly identify themselves as redcoats!. After the Revolutionary War, France as an act of humanitarism gave safe haven into the Louisiana territory for people who supported King George!. Somehow the Loyalist and the winners did not get together and have a big 4th of July picnic!. The winners burned the losers homes down!. That's why the Battle of New Orleans was more important than some people think!. If England could have joined up with those people, the war would have lasted a lot longer!. Some of them didn't celebrate the 4th of July until after WW2!.
We had good family friends when I was growing up that were redcoats!. They didn't have any children and we called them aunt and uncle!. Uncle Tom said they would have joined the English if they had a chance!.
However, he also said if they had one the Revolutionary War, "well, I guess if our side had won, we'd hung em all!."

Just so you know the south cannot be pegged as easily as some people think!. !.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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yes, they were discriminated against too!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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any one not a white American protestant was discriminated against!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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