Society's Child

Society’s Child - My autobiography

Slowly driving through one of the main streets in Delray Beach, Florida he gestured to the left and said: “On this side all the whites live. Over there all the blacks live” He was now motioning to the right. “Hey brother” he said to the black man in the streets as he lifted his hand in a casual wave. “I can say that,” he said, “cause' I'm some sort of colored. Otherwise it wouldn't hold up. It's is crazy but it's true. Racial devision is still clear as day.”
We went quiet as we kept driving with music playing softly through the speakers[1]

“Where words fail, music speaks.” – Hans Christian Andersen

Society's Child - My Autobiography is a book written in 2009 by Janis Ian the American singer-song writer. At the age of 13 Ian had lived long enough to notice imbalance in the society. This she conveyed into the song 'Society's child' which she uses in this excerpt, from the autobiography, to express her meeting with and opinion towards the topic of racial segregation, racism and love. It was very relevant for the contemporary time and even to this day is the topic lives in strong in the debate.

Society back in the day did not allow interracial relationships. A young Janis Ian, a child of society, saw this happening around her as she when young lived in a neighborhood consisting of mainly black people with only seven white girls at her school.[2]
She saw how parents forbid their children having relations with people of different race from both sides. She writes: “My black friends' parents didn't want them dating whites. My white friends' parents didn't want them dating blacks.”[3] She used what she saw to write about the nonsense she experienced[4] growing up,   and she used this song in the excerpt to get through to the reader her message about how to overcome these problems in society. Society must take actions in matter of racial segregation and inner hate towards a different race. The people must be active instead...