Education is one of the most important things in the world today. You cannot get very far in life if you do not go to college. During the time when James was growing up, education was almost as important as it is today. Ruth knew this, she as a child was worked very hard and suffocated by the strict rules of family and religion as a girl. She knew her children would only get somewhere in life if they do well in high school and went to college and earned Degrees. Whenever her children would ask her why she is different then the rest of them, she just ignored the question; she did not want them to be considered with race.
             "Oh Boy...God's not black. He's not white. He's a spirit."
             "Does he like black or white people better?"
             "He loves all people. He's a spirit."
             "A spirit's a spirit."
             "What color is God's spirit?"
             "It doesn't have a color, God is the color of water. Water doesn't have a color."
             She wanted them to know that color did not matter and nothing did as long as they become productive people in society. To keep her kids out of gangs and drugs and all the bad surrounding them, she kept them involved in free cultural and artistic activities in the city.
             "Mommy kept us at a frantic living pace that left no time for the problem. We thrived on thought, books, music, and art, which she fed to us instead of food. At every opportunity she loaded five or six of us onto the subway, paying one fare and pushing the rest of us through the turnstiles while the token-booth clerks frowned and subway riders stared, parading us to every free event New York City offered: festivals, zoos, parades, block parties, libraries, concerts." (Page 95).
             My parents view on education is similar to Ruth's, but th
             ...