Rainelle Harrell:  

Hi! Everyone, I was really inspired by Kenneth Manley's story. It has given me the courage to write a bit about my story. My family moved into Fair Haven when I was about 4 or 5 years old. I remember when Clinton Ave. Park was not there. It was just a field of mud when it rained. At the opening park ceremony they had a big celebration with lots of free food. It was great. Moving into our house was not so great. We had lots of opposition from some people in the neighborhood who did not want any minority group to move in. I remember when we moved in there was a snake on our living room floor. Also people came and broke some of the windows. I started Clinton Ave. School and for quite some time I would be chased home from school just about every day. Many times I would have rocks thrown at me. The father of one of the girls on the block wrote a note saying she and I could not play together. Many bad things happened. Thank God people do not have to experience quite the same prejudice anymore. When I was seven my mother died. My father worked 3 jobs and was almost never home. My mother left a huge hospital bill that he had to pay.I was the oldest one in the house. I had a sister and three brothers under me. My father hired a housekeeper who secretly drank all day long. She was constantly beating us for any little thing and sometimes for nothing. She was supposed to sleep at our house but rarely ever did. She gradually cut down her hours and when I was about ten she stopped coming at all. That was the year I watched my sister burn to death because of an accident at home. Her clothes caught fire and she started running. We didn't know about drop and roll. She died as a result of 3rd degree burns over most of her body. It was very difficult growing up in a house with very little to almost no adult supervision. My siblings were responsible for the house falling apart very quickly. A couple of times someone called DCS but my father told us to tell them he just went to the store. They would buy that story and just leave. To make matters worse the house had a glass shingled like door. Anyone could get into the house by lifting up a shingle and putting their hand under the shingle to reach the doorknob to open the door. Many times I would go home to find unwanted people in the house. I felt so unsecure in the house that I had trouble sleeping. I often missed school as a result. Other times I missed school because the person I was babysitting for was called in and I needed the money. Sometimes if I spent the night babysitting I would have to borrow the ladies clothes to go to school. The clothes were too big for me. I got really good at making up excuses for the missed school days. It was very hard concentrating on school. I grew up eating junk foods like potato chips and soda that my ...Expand for more