""Black's to sit at the back of the bus, Whites-only restaurants and water fountains and other forms of de jure segregation. Sugar Ray had his first taste of racism in that city a few years later. He wandered into a small cafe not fear from the Capitol one day, intending to ask for the water he needed. A man behind the counter shouted, "no niggers in here! No godamned niggers in here! Get out!" Frightened, Ray ran tearfully all the way home and when his mother arrived home told her what had happened.
Leonards mother paused for a moment, trying to find the right words.
Then she said quietly, "listen, little Ray, there's lots of bad folks.in this world.
Some of them are white, like that mean old fellow, but some are negroes just like you.
You just need to try and avoid as many of the bad ones as you can*, no matter what colour.
The best you can do is not be one of the bad people."
Ray was deeply struck by the simple wisdom of his mothers words and ever since regarded them as his mantle of how to get along in life.
...small edited extract from boxer Sugar Ray Leonards biography, p12
Leonards mother paused for a moment, trying to find the right words.
Then she said quietly, "listen, little Ray, there's lots of bad folks.in this world.
Some of them are white, like that mean old fellow, but some are negroes just like you.
You just need to try and avoid as many of the bad ones as you can*, no matter what colour.
The best you can do is not be one of the bad people."
Ray was deeply struck by the simple wisdom of his mothers words and ever since regarded them as his mantle of how to get along in life.
...small edited extract from boxer Sugar Ray Leonards biography, p12