Growing Up in the Other Atlantic City

Book excerpt: Turiya S.A. Raheem (nee, Lillian D. Thomas) tells her family and community¡¦s history with love, warmth and humor. Concerning that history, she says, ¡§Our story HAD to be told. We built Atlantic City.¡ ̈ Two other African-Americans, Foster and Goddard, based their doctoral dissertations on the Northside¡¦s history, but no one has recounted it the way Mrs. Raheem does in Growing Up in the Other Atlantic City: Wash¡¦s and the Northside. Synopsis for Growing Up in the Other Atlantic City: Wash¡¦s and the Northside By Turiya S.A. Raheem ƒæ Revisit the lives of the people who were part of the Northside community on a decade-by-decade journey with the Washington family, owners of Wash and Sons¡¦ Seafood Restaurant (1937 to present) ƒæ Enter the family business through the eyes of Lillian, one of the grandchildren of Alma and Clifton Washington, as she works in the business as a teenager ƒæ Meet Alma and Clifton, newly-weds and newcomers to Atlantic City in the 1920¡¦s ƒæ Laugh with the Washington¡¦s five sons, two daughters and other family members who worked at the restaurant ƒæ Experience the socio-economic, political, religious and educational life of Blacks in Atlantic City through the trials and tribulations of the Washington family during the Great Depression, World War II, the prosperous 50¡¦s and the turbulent 60¡¦s ƒæ Sympathize with the demise of ¡§the World¡¦s Playground¡ ̈ and the exodus of African-Americans and Wash¡¦s during the 70¡¦s ƒæ Celebrate the Washington family¡¦s perseverance and survival as one of A.C.¡¦s few Black family-owned and ¡Voperated businesses still in existence after more than 70 years