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Description
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Jay Ray had never picked up a hitchhiker before but persuaded me during the drive to come and speak to his Rotary Club, so his friends could see that “a hitchhiker is not so dangerous.” He told me that he had made his fortune by giving bank loans to poor black sharecroppers so that they could buy themselves a mule or move from the rotten shack into a streamlined plastic trailer. Over the years I saw how his banking empire had grown, and he invited me to dinner at a club for whites only. As a sponsor of everything from scholarships to orchestras, the Jack L. Ray Family Park was dedicated to him, but no blacks attended the festivities. From I met him in 1973 to I last visited his family in 2012 the result of his monetary policies helped double the net worth of every white American, from 6 to 12 times that of every black American.
2917 Scenic Highway, Gadsden, AL - December 17th, 1973
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