Page 110 - my-people-abbie-harris-beck

THE FUR COAT

Mama had a friend Mrs. Herring who had a daughter the same age as Annie Laura.
Welfare had just been made into a law. Mama and Mrs. Herring were both widow women
and also took in boarders. Talking to each other they could not understand why they
could not get on welfare. Annie Laura and Gladys tried to explain to them that they
owned too much to qualify for welfare. They both owned their own homes, had property
and etc. Mama and Mrs. Herring still thought that they needed more income with children
in school and to educate . Mama told Annie Laura that she was to take her and
Mrs. Herring to Dothan to the Welfare Agency to sign up. Annie Laura and Gladys told
their mother that they needed to really dress up and to put on their Sunday best and wear
Annie Laura's and Gladys" fur coat. Needless to say the man told them right off that they
could not sign up. Mama and Mrs. Herring never did understand why they were refused.
One of Mrs. Herring's daughters, Carrie who had a beauty shop that I used, when I'd come
to her shop, she would ask me, Abbie where is your fur coat. Then we would laugh and
Carrie would tell the story to everyone in the shop.

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