A cotton plant showing the bolls injured by the conchuela
Educational Notes:
1913 24th of October. Ben, I've been missing you. Did you ever get that job picking cotton? I read in the newspaper about a nasty bug that has been killing much of the cotton crop. I know you left San Francisco because you wanted to get away from the discrimination, but Im not sure if you found anything different in the cotton industry. Sometimes, when I need to leave Chinatown, I encounter someone who is xenophobic. They obviously dont want Chinese people in the US, and I feel like they don't even think of me as a human being. It hurts my feelings. I wish I could explain to them that I work just as hard, and have the same dreams and concerns as they do. I know we stick together here in Chinatown for our safety and comfort, but I suppose it does not help solve the problem. We are not mixing with the Americans and they are not mixing with us. I wonder if it is just California, or if it is the same across all the United States. Do you feel you get treated better in Mississippi? I miss you! Write to me soon, Mei
