Washington: Over seven decades ago, Pearl Thompson in the united States wanted to read a book from a North Carolina library. But Thompson’s request was, refused because of her complexion. She is a black. However, on Friday, a county library official changed the decision. The decision comes years after the 1942 incident during the days of racial segregation, CNN said.
Thompson, now 93, was a student at Shaw University when she went to the Olivia Rainey Library in Raleigh to borrow a book for a report. “She came to the library in 1942 to use a book for a paper she was writing, and she was denied access because she was African-American,” said Ann Burlingame, deputy director for Wake County Public Libraries.
Instead of checking out the book, she was sent to the basement, where she sat among piles of old newspapers. She read the book under dim lighting, took notes and handed it back, Burlingame said. When local librarians were told her story, they reached out to her in Cincinnati, where she now lives, Burlingame said.
And after a wait that spanned generations, an elated Thompson finally got a Wake County library card on Friday during a ceremony at the Cameron Village Regional Library.“It’s going to take me a while to get to you,” she told the library staff as she walked toward them to get the card with the help of a walker. “But it’s been a long journey anyway,” she added.
