The Paulk Perspective on Race Relations

My name is Delores Paulk. I was born in 1950 to Jacob and Kathryn Buckwalter, who were missionaries in the state of Kentucky at the time. I graduated from high school in 1968, did not attend college, and went right into the work force. In 1971 I met a man named Rev. Bill Drury, founder of a Christian Youth Organization called Teen Haven. In November of that same year I moved from the peaceful, rolling hills of Lancaster, Pennsylvania into the heart of North Philadelphia to work with him. I spent seven years as a Bible teacher, camp counselor, rec room supervisor and bus driver. My experiences during that time opened my eyes and heart to a world I never knew existed. When I left Teen Haven and moved as a single woman into the Germantown section of Philly, I met a Black man named Peter. Through many, many long conversations I learned about the history of Blacks in America and before slavery. Thirty-six years and two kids later, we are still talking and I have a deep desire to share what I have learned with the hopes of introducing my readers to a whole new world of hope and understanding.