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AN UNPLEASANT INCIDENT
The ‘60s, Boston University, and My Friend, Mae
A time when racism intruded
This story may not be accurate. It is based on my memories of events over sixty years ago. It was the time of the Boston Strangler, the emergence of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and the beginning of the civil rights movement.
We were students enrolled in BU’s School of Education, preparing and planning to be elementary school teachers. We were oblivious to outside activities or influences. We were at BU for an education; we knew our parents had sacrificed for us; we had our goals — graduation and employment. Campus activity was on our periphery, barely acknowledged.
I don’t remember how we met. Aside from our classes, we were both day students, traveling to BU’s sprawling campus by public transportation or foot. We didn’t have the benefits of dorm living; we had to exert ourselves to meet potential friends.
Mae was Black, a Boston resident; I was White, a south-of-the-city suburban resident, yet we bonded, sharing our hopes, worries, and dreams.
We hung out in the Commons, BU’s central food service area. Soon, the other refugees who didn’t live on campus joined our table. We had our clique: the outsiders, the commuters, the serious students.
