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she was 6 years old, and her father went towork on the military base. Lee lived a differentreality from that of her civilian peers, like Betty.In Klamath Falls, there were cross-burnings andBlacks had to walk on the left side of the street,but Lee’s family lived “the military life.”When Betty first came to town, she made a livingcleaning houses. She became one of KlamathFalls’ first Black cooks, then later moved onto home healthcare. With the change in racialclimate, Whites began attending Black churchesand vice versa in the early ’60s, helping to bridgeWhite and Black relations.Lee was the second Black person to work in theschool district. By the time she retired in 2009,the district had only hired three Black employeesin its whole history.Raised with the “tools” to deal with racism,Lee often confronted co-workers and otherassociates. Her contemporaries even convincedher to become the president of the ClassifiedEmployees Union. Through labor fights andher presence in the district office, she built areputation. People couldn’t intimidate her, andfew dared to mess with her sons. Now whenshe goes out, many people recognize her eventhough she doesn’t know most of them.Lee is one of the few Black people in the smalltown. People often ask if that bothers her. “I grewup during segregation,” she says. “I was alwaysthe only one. That don’t bother me. I was raisedso that I can go and do anything I want to.”Betty notes that Black youth, mostly bi-racial,often leave Klamath Falls to go to school and findjobs in more active cities. But as a retiree, sheloves the town’s comfort and quiet. “I’ll be hereuntil the Lord tells me to move.”153