They don’t see colors in people; they just see people in people

Mr. Blue talks about going to school and facing increasing racism as he got older.

Audio Chapters

DL: What kind of student were you?

DR: Actually I think for the most part, I was an ambitious student. But as the kids grow older and the impressions of the adults start to come into play, things got a little bit more difficult. The old battle. Dakota– Indian versus white. Kids are kids. They don’t see colors in people; they just see people in people. But adults teach them, however they do it-by whispers, or whatever. Some adults just tell kids directly, “Don’t hang out with them people or those Indians” or whatever it is. It might be a black person. When that started to come to the surface, then it got more difficult. But that wasn’t until the sixth or seventh grade. Then things got a little bit tougher. I would still try to perform well but it became more and more difficult.

Oral History- Interview | Narrator Dallas Ross Interviewer Deborah Locke made at Granite Falls, Upper Sioux Community, MN | Sunday, May 1, 2011

Citation: Minnesota Historical Society. U.S. - Dakota War of 1862. They don’t see colors in people; they just see people in people March 29, 2024. http://www.usdakotawar.org/node/1104

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