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20 April 1948

Dear Doris: 

I suppose you would be much disappointed if your last letter didn't bring a rise out of us, so here goes. It is quite natural for "generous youth" to rebel at the injustices and inequalities of life, and in particular at the color line. (as Paul Russell claims the colored preacher said: "your skin may be whiter than mine but my heart is just as black as yours.") Nevertheless, the facts remains that you have got to live your life, if it is to be a normally happy one, among people of your own color - unless you become a missionary, that is, which seems an unlikely possibility. And if you are to be welcome among people of your own color, you cannot mingle freely with people of another color. If you do, you will be ostracized by people of your own race, and regarded lightly by people of the other. In other words, if you want to be asked to go out by decent white boys, you cannot go out (even once) with negroes. That is the substance of the matter, and you cannot hope to dodge it. If you were a person like Gandhi or Buddha, with a religious message to spread & the fervor to go thru with it, it would be different. As the case is, you are merely in search of masculine companionship, and unless you want to cut out any chance of being asked to go out by white boys, you will not take a chance of having your reputation blasted by going out with a colored one. You would be certain to be seen by some one, the story would get around, and zip - there you are. This is not race prejudice on my part, it is merely a fact, and it is no use trying to blink it. Please excuse the repetitiousness of this letter, but be guided by my advice. 

Love, RFB