Separate Pasts

Separate Pasts

In Separate Pasts Melton A. McLaurin honestly and plainly recalls his boyhood during the 1950s, an era when segregation existed unchallenged in the rural South. In his small hometown of Wade, North Carolina, whites and blacks lived and worked within each other's shadows, yet were separated by the history they shared. Separate Pasts is the moving story of the bonds McLaurin formed with friends of both races—a testament to the power of human relationships to overcome even the most ingrained systems of oppression. A new afterword provides historical context for the development of segregation in North Carolina. In his poignant portrayal of contemporary Wade, McLaurin shows that, despite integration and the election of a black mayor, the legacy of racism remains.

Preserving Different Pasts

The Past as Liberation from History

The Past as Liberation from History explores the difference between the social construction we call history and the lived experience we call the past, arguing that by failing to distinguish between the two, we risk unquestionably accepting as authoritative accounts of the past in which we have no voice. It shows that identities rooted in the richness and variety of the past, even when the history is painful, serve the purpose of drawing us closer to one another as we seek to realize our shared dreams of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. By placing in counterpoint broader educational concerns with the teaching experiences of the author, the study also explores this individual's testimony as a teacher seeking to make relevant for his students the examination of the past.