riots

                                                April 9, 1968

Dear Mother,

            Spring is here, and it is so very beautiful.  The trees and flowers are in full bloom, and the whole earth is coming alive.

            The only thing that marrs the beauty of it is the riots in Washington, but there is nothing to be afraid of where we live.  In fact, Harold and I went into Washington on Saturday, the day afer the rioting started, and everything was quiet.  There were burned out and looted stores, but they are in the Negro district, and they are stores owned for the most part by white people.  The Negros fail to realize they are hurting themselves more by rioting.  We went across one of the burned out streets, and just a block away everything was clean and beautiful, with flowers and trees blooming.  The Negro people for the most part were as bewildered as well.  They are wondering what is happening.  The Negro people who had friends living out of Washington came and spent the 2 or 3 days during the riots, in friends homes.

            I must leave for Relief Society.  I have to open the building.  Our janitor is a Negro, and he is taking the day off in memory of Martin Luthor King.  So I must go and open the building.  Dad is the only one who has keys except the Bishopric and the janitor.  I’ll finish when I get home.   [Laura]

            Hello Mother!  This is Harold.  Laura gave me this letter to add a note and mail.  We are all fine.  I believe Laura is feeling better than she has for years.  We enjoy having Dianne here.  We are all very busy at Church work and school.  Don’t worry about the riots.  We are no where near the bad areas.

                                                Love from us all.        Harold.