Emma's father grew up in Mississippi. She longed to hear about her Dad's upbringing but it wasn't until two years ago when she travelled to Leland, Mississippi, for his mother's funeral that she was able to understand why he had been so reticent.
 Emma with her father in Leland |
Emma describes her father as not the kind of father who would say "tell me about your day at school". And he didn't invite questions about his own background.
He was an Black American serviceman who had grown up in Leland, Mississippi. Emma's mother, a white woman, had met him at an Air Force club in London during the 60s. He and his nine siblings had been brought up by their grandmother. Emma met her for the first time when she was 17 and knew she was a tough woman. She had rented out property in the South at a time when most blacks didn't own property, and she used to enforce her rent collection with a shotgun.
 Emma's grandmother as a young woman |
When her father's mother died, Emma decided to go to the funeral as support for her dad. She says that, in a way, the funeral was a wonderful experience - "like being part of a huge hug" and "It felt like a celebration of her life rather than a grieving for her death". Everyone was wearing white or bright colours. This was very unlike Emma's mother's funeral which she describes as a "very buttoned up British affair".
She discovered much about life in the South in general and her father's family in particular. Her grandmother had played an active part in the Civil Rights Movement. She had set up Headstart, which was instrumental in getting Blacks in the America to vote. Her grandfather was already dead. But he'd also played an important part in Leland society. He owned a radio repair shop at a time when blacks didn't own businesses and was the area's first black DJ.
 Emma's grandmother before she died |
Emma was surprised to discover that, although segregation in the South is now illegal, it still exists informally. She had wanted to go for breakfast in one of Leland's two cafes. But it was the one that only the town's 'whites' used. But because she was from London and a bit of a novelty, they let her and her father eat in there.
Emma returned to Britain with a new understanding of her father. She says, "I feel that I understand the man inside my dad. Before, he was my dad - that encompassed everything about him". Going to Leland together has brought them closer and she realises now why he couldn't speak about his childhood and youth in Mississippi. "I didn't understand where he was coming from - because I hadn't been there yet".
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