Ninety-two-year-old Pearl Thompson was a student at Shaw University in 1942 when she attempted to check out a book from the Olivia Raney Library in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her school, which is an HBCU, didn’t carry the book she needed for a history class so she visited the local library. According to her daughter, Deborah Thompson, Pearl was denied a library card because she was black, so instead, she was sent to the building’s basement to read the book.
“I expected to go in and get a book,” Pearl told News & Observer.
Seventy-three years later, Pearl returned to Raleigh with her daughter and granddaughter and finally got her library card.“She was fighting good health but she was determined to make this trip,” Deborah told HuffPost. She said Pearl is currently battling kidney disease and suffers from heart issues — but she wouldn’t let that stop her.
CLICK HERE to read story
source: TheHuffingtonPost.com
After Being Denied 73 Years Ago, 92-Year-Old Black Woman Finally Receives Her Library Card was originally published on praisecleveland.com
