It wasn't always like this. Not until the federal government decided every black person was an incompetent child, incapable of providing for himself or his family (thanks, LBJ and his successors).
@mountaineer I don't personally remember ANY real problems between blacks and whites prior to around 1965. By then blacks had made great strides towards success,and many owned businesses that catered to both black and white people.
I also know that if I ever said the "N word" around my mother I would get slapped up side the head.
I don't know anything about this woman other than she was black because my mother's "house rule" was that when she had company,MY job was to politely say "Pleased to meet you!" and then get the hell out of the house until the company left,regardless of who it was.
I do know that at that time that black woman friend occasionally stop by for a visit,and that they seemed to be very good friends. My mother couldn't drive and didn't have access to a car,so she never really visited anybody unless my father drove her there. On the rare occasion when she had to go shopping for something like new school clothes for me,we took a taxi.
I also know none of our neighbors thought anything about the black woman visiting,or their children would have been hassling me about my mother having a black friend.
Children tend to accept the attitudes of their parents,and since I got no negative feedback,I knew the neighbors didn't give a damn,either.
Just a few years ago I happened to run into an old friend of mine at the VA hospital that I used to work with.. This old friend happened to be about as black as human beings are capable of being,and we greeted each other with hugs and back slaps.
Back when we were working together I happened to meet his wife,and she and I got along good,also. One day at work he invited me to go out to dinner with him and his wife that night. He ended up by looking down at the floor and admitting "I would have rather invited you into my home like the friend you are,but I don't want my children attacked by the neighbors children for associating with white people."
It was obvious he was truly embarrassed to admit this,but he felt bad because he couldn't invite a friend to his home. I didn't and don't hold this against him because his first duty in life is to protect his children,and that is what he was doing.
I felt sorry for him then,and I still feel sorry for him. No one should be forced to live a live where he has to hide his friends from his neighbors due solely to skin tone.