In 1927 Doris Harper Allen was born into the vibrant and striving community of "Newtown"—the African American section of Harrisonburg, Virginia. The restrictions of the Jim Crow South set many limits on opportunities for African Americans, but despite these unfair pressures, both she and her community built rich and vibrant lives full of love, family, community, industry, education, and success. Urban Renewal projects, and the shuttering of the African American school as part of inequitable desegregation policies, severely hurt Harrisonburg's black community in the 1960s, but since that time, thanks to efforts by people like Doris Harper Allen, the community is again reclaiming its proud culture and past. This book is the memoirs of Doris Harper Allen, describing the everyday challenges, triumphs, and realities of growing up as a black woman in Virginia in the Jim Crow era. As a vivacious and unapologetic activist with a zest for life, her accounts paint a vivid pictures of this important time in American history. Her strong voice makes this narrative sparkle, and her stories tell the tales of many members of her dynamic community. This volume also includes several essays that place her history within the larger context of the times, and describe the long-time relationship between Harrisonburg's black and Mennonite population that also colored her life.