Born a Crime

Working people, mostly. Not
wealthy but stable and middle-
class. Older houses, but still a nice
place to live. In Soweto I was the
only white kid in the black
township. In Eden Park I was the
only mixed kid in the colored area.
In Highlands North I was the only
black kid in the white suburb—and
by “only” I mean only. In
Highlands North the white never
took flight. It was a largely Jewish
neighborhood, and Jewish people
don’t flee. They’re done fleeing.
They’ve already fled. They get to a
place, build their shul, and hold it
down. Since the white people
around us weren’t leaving, there
weren’t a lot of families like ours
moving in behind us.
I didn’t make any friends in