As an older African-American, Fannie had seen many things during her lifetime, some of them bad and others more positive. Fannie lived during a time when African-Americans were treated differently, such as being expected to live in a certain part of town and being barred from frequenting certain businesses.

Everyday Fannie would sit in the same chair at the senior citizens center and eat lunch with her friends and the other seniors from the community. No one ever bothered her or showed her disrespect, at least not from what I saw. I think this was because she treated everyone else with respect.

She liked being a part of the senior center, telling jokes with her friends and enjoying a hot meal with them. She was with people her own age and could visit with old friends and acquaintances. She knew, and perhaps had come to expect, that the senior center was a place where everyone treated her as an equal and she liked that.

Every day the senior van would pick her up at her home. Every day when the van turned onto the street where the senior center was located, she would sing out loud “look out seniors ’cause here we come.”

She was not unique, but she was special. She had seen bigotry in her lifetime. She had seen changes come slowly for her peers. She had seen gradual acceptance and the world around her become more accepting. I respected her perseverance, determination, and attitude on life even though these changes came slowly.

It would be very easy for Fannie to have been bitter. It would have been understandable if she had never attended the mostly white senior citizens center. She developed new expectations, especially at the senior center. Her attitude about life and the people she met amazed me.

No one is perfect, but Fannie knew firsthand about change. She knew what expectations were appropriate with change. She also knew that how we treat each other is one of the principals we are taught at a young age, which makes change difficult.

People don’t always change and are often afraid of it. Fannie had come to expect things to change, especially when it involved how we treat each other.

I expect and hope to continue positive change after getting to know Fannie. Someday people won’t have to “change” if in the future we teach our young people at an early age how to treat each other well.

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