Gumbo Tales

“Still, if she were African American, southern African American specifically, I had to get it right the first time. I knew from experience how culturally sensitive Black people from the south were. They could size you up from a mile away and smile in your face while dragging you the entire time without skipping a beat. They missed nothing and let nothing slide. Outsiders were none the wiser, but real locals always knew. It was a language spoken where no words were necessary. Call it trauma or survival, whatever it was, it was in the bones.“