earnin' a livin' with their education. They're in jail
somewheres. They're walkin' up and down Ninth Street and runnin' in
and out of these here low dives. You go down there to the penitentiary
and count those prisoners and I'll bet you don't find nary one that
don't know how to read and write. They're all educated. Most of these
educated niggers don't have no feeling for common niggers. 'They just
walk on them like they wasn't living. And don't come to 'em tellin'
them that you wanting to use them!

"The people et the same thing in slavery time that they eat now. Et
better then 'n they do now. Chickens, cows, mules died then, they
throw 'em to the buzzards. Die now, they sell 'em to you to eat.
Didn't eat that in slavery time. Things they would give to the dogs
then, they sell to the people to eat now. People et pure stuff in
slavery. Don't eat pure stuff now. Got pure food law, but that's all
that is pure.

"My mother's name was Diana Benson and my father's name was Joe Brown.
That's what folks say, I don't know. I have seen them but I wasn't
brought up with no mother and father. Come up with the white folks and
colored folks fust one and then the other. I think my mother and
father died before freedom. I don't know what the name of their master
was. All my folks died early.

"The fus' white folks I knowed anything about was Rays. They said that
they were my old slave-time masters. They were nice to me. Treated me
like they would their own children. Et and slept with them. They
treated me jus' like they own. Heap of people say they didn't have no
owners, but they got owners yet now out there on that government farm.

"The fus' work I done in my life was nussing. I was a child then and I
stayed with the white folks' children. Was raised up in the house with
'em. I was well taken care of too. I was jus' like their children.
That was at Crystal Springs.

"I left them before I got grown and went off with other folks. I never
had no reason. Jus' went on off. I didn't go for better because I was
doing better. They jus' told me to come and I went.

"I been living now in Arkansas ever since 1911. My husband and I
stayed on to work and make a living. I take care of myself. I'm not
looking for nothin' now but a better home over yonder--better home
than this. Thank the Lawd, I gits along all right. The government
gives me a check to buy me a little meat and bread with. Maybe the
government will give me back that what they