Gallery
The Family of William Pettiford, my great- grandfather, of North Carolina. He and his wife and children moved from Indiana to Detroit in 1906.
My great grandfather William Pettiford, passed away in Detroit before I was born. I later learned he was buried at Detroit’s Elmwood Cemetary, which was walking distance from where I lived for many years.
That’s me on the far right. I remember my 5th birthday party even to this day. This photo was taken in front of my house located in LaClaire Courts Housing Projects in Chicago.
My mother, Virginia Lanton Smith, was often mistaken for white. Her impressions on me, both positive and negative, have made me what I am today.
As a student in Highland Park High School, I was never taught African American history, although the school was integrated. Back then, there was some interracial dating. I graduated in 1967, just before the Detroit riots.
As I got older, I tried to stay in the sun as much as possible. I thought that if I were a shade or two darker, people might stop questioning my race.
My father, Paul, was my rock. He loved me deeply and taught me how to love myself.
As a teenager, I was asked out often—I’m sure I went to at least ten proms. This photo was taken when I was 17, just before heading out to a school dance.
As an infant, I had sandy brown hair. From the very beginning, people questioned or misidentified my race.
Preparing to enter kindergarten, I posed for one of my first professional photo shoots.
Mensa is a high-IQ society—an international organization for individuals who score in the top 2% on standardized intelligence tests. It was rumored that my mother, Virginia, was a member. In her spare time, she delighted in correcting grammar errors in newspaper articles—just for fun. Brilliant and meticulous, she could type over 90 words per minute on a manual typewriter, yet she never learned to swim, ride a bike, or drive a car.
The year was 1959. I had always wanted a baby sister. When Paula was born, I thought she was the answer to my prayers. Little did I know how differently our lives would unfold.