The kidnapping story became a cautionary tale of the danger and power of the whites over the blacks. Another version of the tale is described in a few details about a man who kidnapped the brothers from a tobacco field near Roanoke. ![]() Macy heard a rumor of the boys running away from home to join the circus. The customs and laws debilitated the family’s ability to have a good life. People always stared at them as if they were looking at strange creatures. The sun could quickly burn their skin and damage their irises in minutes. She was illiterate, and her financial resources were far from sufficient to provide for and protect her two albino sons. YouTube 9 / 10 Jim Crow SegregationĪ big part of the story was about Jim Crow segregation that rendered Harriet Muse, the mother of Willie and George, unable to escape an impoverished, disfranchised life. That was precisely what Macy did until Saunders opened up in many instances. The unveiling of the story began in a soul-food shop owned by Nancy Saunders, the caretaker, and great-niece of Willie Muse.Īlthough initially, Saunders had been reluctant to share words about Willie and George, she eventually spilled some true tales about the brothers.ĭuring the first few interactions between her and Macy, the conversation mostly ended with a “sit down and shut up” gesture from the owner, just like what the sign in the restaurant read. In her book “Truevine,” she retells the story of Willie Muse and his brother George during their time as sideshow attractions.īeing an albino African-Americans, the brothers had been exhibited as the “freaks” of circus performances, initially against their will and only for the amusement of white spectators, until their mother came to the rescue. In one such establishment, Beth Macy discovered a somewhat mysterious yet certainly unpleasant history of George and Willie Muse. However, in between the conversations, there were always hidden tales of racism – some unspeakable stories of atrocity no one wanted to remember. They joined marches and listened to speeches now, everyone could leave the sordid history behind. ![]() They had lunch in black-owned establishments and thought it was some reconciliation. ![]() Some say the bigotry began in tobacco plantations of Virginia.įollowing the Civil War and the theoretical end of the widespread enslavement of African-Americans, the state’s white liberals, attempted to paint a picture of how interracial interaction redeemed the dark past and segregation. There was a long period when racism and slavery ran rampant across the United States.
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