[originaltext] In the fall of 1951 during my first week at North Carolina Co

In the fall of 1951 during my first week at North Carolina College, the chairman’s wife stopped me one day in the hall. She wanted to see me, she said.
    When I went to her office, she greeted me with a big smile. "You know," she said, "you made the highest mark on the verbal part of the examination. ’ She was referring to the examination that the entire freshman class took upon entering the college. In spite of her smile, her eyes and tone of voice were saying, "How could this black-skinned girl score so high? It must be some sort of fluke.’ I felt it, but I managed to smile my thanks and backed off. For here at North Carolina College, the faculty assumed light-skinned students were more intelligent, and they were always a bit surprised when a dark-skinned student did well, especially if she was a girl.
    When the grades for the first quarter came out, I had the highest average in the freshman class. The chairman’s wife called me into her office again. She praised me for my grades. Then she took out a copy of the English final examination paper. She asked me to take the exam over again.
    At first I couldn’t believe what she was saying. I had taken the course under another teacher; and it was so incredible to her that I should have made the highest score in the class that she was trying to test me again, personally. For a few moments I knew rage so intense that I wanted to take my fists and start punching her. I had seldom hated anyone so deeply. I handed the examination back to her and walked out.