Bold Negro from Nash County scares the Klan

Otis Baker? Humph where can I begin? When i read an article online about people thinking the Obamas were somewhat uppity I immediately thought of a story my father told me some years ago about a man from North Carolina, Nash County North Carolina He was a colored feller ( as my father would say) My father, grew up during the Great Depression of the 1930s and my grandfather was a share cropper for Otha Baker (Not related to Otis Baker.) Those times were hard times especially for a black man of color as my father would say "Especially in North Carolina" and probably even more so in Nash County which was then known as a one horse town

Otis Baker by fathers account was a nice lookin feller all even and light had some Indian in em, all Negros did back then that were light well he was downtown in the drug store and a bunch of the local white men swore he was looking at a white woman ( my father said he probably was things were quite intergrated when a white woman had a yen for a colored feller segregation flew out of the window as they found a placed to do as he called it "that thing") so as he was making leave to get back to his farm the white man said "Uppity Nigger we seen you looking at Missy So and so and we will be round to see you tonight" My Daddy said Otis coolly told them "You may but the first one come round that bend is gon be mine!" and he took his leave.

When they told you they would "see ya" that was code for your black ass was gonna be lynched, beaten or get a good tar and feathering, your house would be burned and your crops while your daughters would probably be raped. That was the antidote for dealing with a negro that didnt know his place.

No one came that night cause no one wanted to be first. Otis had a reputation for being a brawler his family picked up and moved before night fell the next night