Aging Population
Raised in a rural community, where whites where the dominate race and blacks and Hispanics where considered the minorities of the group. Racism still was a factor in this small town. The medical facilities were very limited, he reports that he can remember having one hospital that was not very big at all in the town and that it could take many hours or even a day to be seen by the doctor. He reports that they did not have any urgent care or express care facilities during his time. His mother would take him and his siblings to the town doctor when they would get sick. He reports that it was hard to get an appointment with the doctor most of the time because he was the main doctor in the town trying to tend to everyone’s needs. So they would go and see his grandmother who would implement home remedies to help treat their needs.
Education services were available too, however being a minority he was not allowed to do certain things. He states that he believed that the education that was provided to him was not the best; he stated that he felt like his teachers did not care if he received the adequate education as the other children did. He reported that he did not like going to school because he was poorer than other kids. This would lead to them making fun of him and looking at him different. Playing with white kids was not permitted but he would sneak and do so if the children would want to play. He states that he did have one white childhood friend who his family befriended him and allowed him to come over and play with the child. He recalls being in the same class rooms as the white children; but they were divided into different sections of the room, even in the cafeteria; meaning, the blacks and Mexicans on one side and the whites on the other. He reports that blacks were not allowed to use the same bathrooms as whites when he was in school.
In his home town, there was one grocery store that was not the size of your average...