Having Our Say

             I never thought I'd see the day that the world would want to hear what two old Negro women have to say," says Bessie Delany. But Bessie and her sister, Sadie, born in 1893 and 1891, saw plenty, by eating a low-fat, high-vegetable diet and outliving the "old Rebby boys" who once almost lynched Sadie. Born to a former slave whose owners broke the law by teaching him to read, the sisters got a solid education. North Carolina was paradise despite the Rebbies, until Jim Crow reared its hideous head. The family moved to New York, where Bessie became the town's second black woman dentist and Sadie the first black woman home-ec teacher. They pursued careers instead of husbands, and lived peacefully together, despite their differences. Sadie was more peaceable, like Booker T. Washington, while Bessie was a W.E.B. Du Bois-style militant.
             They're funny, but my favorite character is Bessie Delany. Bessie notes that blacks must be sharp to get ahead, "But if you're average and white, honey, you can go far. Just look at Dan Quayle. If that boy was colored he'd be washing dishes somewhere." I related to Bessie more because she always spoke her mind and said what she felt. Bessie's role was to balance out Sadie's kindness. However, Bessie initially seemed mean to me in the beginning, but as I got to know her personality throughout the play I recognized how important she was in taking care of Sadie and playing the husband-figure in the household. Bessie did all the things a normal man would do in the household and that's why I guess I related to her so much. She was very intelligent and an extremely hard worker. I am kind of surprised Bessie lived that long considering her attitude toward white people.
             Bessie's speech mechanics were excellent she had a slow rate of speed, which help bring out her southern accent and annunciated every word. I understood and heard clearly every single word that came out of her mouth; She was...

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