Growing Up Black in New Castle County

Book excerpt: Chronicling the period from 1900 to the 1950s, Growing Up Black in New Castle County, Delaware brings together the touching stories of African Americans in northern Delaware who grew up during an era of both hardship and happiness. In a time when racial segregation was law and the nation faced such challenges as war and economic depression, African-American children in New Castle County and around the country were busy exploring the world around them-playing with friends, celebrating holidays, attending school, and learning the important life lessons that would carry them through the rest of the twentieth century. In this valuable volume of oral history, the recorded childhood memories of African Americans-from family rituals to first jobs, neighborhood games to classroom assignments-are illustrated with vintage photographs culled from family albums and archives.