Letter to Robert

Dear Robert,

I'm writing to you to ask what it was like for you to become gradually less marginalized in society. I know from your story when you were growing up that there was such a large contrast between the school that you were able to attend and the school for the white children. I know that was hard for you, and then coming back from serving as a surgeon overseas was another tough adjustment for you.  I'm amazed by your tenacity to persevere and go West despite all the problems which you faced.

I guess what I'm really wondering is even when you were older and segregation had passed did you ever feel like a full member of society? Or was that just impossible after what you had gone through during your youth.

Your trip to Las Vegas was a bit of a triumph, you were able to get into the casinos and clubs despite the fact that they were still officially segregated at the time, and I know that made you happy. It seemed like it was a sort of affirmation of the rise in your status since you had gone West to undreamed of heights. Despite this triumph though, they turned you down at the Riviera and you had to stay elsewhere. Even at this high moment you were sort of knocked down, well if not knocked down because Jimmy managed to get you rooms at the Sands, at least shifted. How was that experience? Did it taint the triumph at all or were you still as pleased as you would have been otherwise with how things turned out for you?