The teacher who did the most to encourage me was,as it happened,my aunt. She was Myrtle C. Manigault,the wife of my mother“s brother Bill. She taught in second grade at all-black Summer School in Camden,Flew Jersey. During my childhood and youth,Aunt Myrtle encouraged me to develop every aspect of my potential, without regard for what was considered practical or possible for black females. I liked to sing;she listened to my voice and pronounced it good. I couldn“t dance;she taught me the basic dancing steps. She took me to the theatre not just children“s theatre but adult comedies and dramas---and her faith that I could appreciate adult plays was not disappointed.