We met in 1969 when the Northern District of Georgia imposed a desegregation plan upon the DeKalb County School System and Dorothy along with other young African American students were bused to McLendon Elementary School in DeKalb County, we were in the 6th grade. Dot and I were fast friends, she was smart, funny and kind, she was my first African American friend. After elementary school Dot and I attended different high schools and lost touch for many years until Facebook brought us together 7 years ago. I asked her to be a part of my series because she is one of the most profoundly strong women I have ever known. She lost her Mother at the very tender age of 13 and yet she survived and after graduating from Clarkston High School in 1976, she went on to attend technical school with a focus on computer programming, had 2 children and has worked for the Federal Government for over 31 years; she has plans to retire in 2020.

After retirement Dot hopes to open an event space offering event planning and catering services for any kind of event. She is artistic, has a keen eye for fine things, I know she will find success in her second career. Actually her third career, she lovingly claims that being a Nah Nah is her second.

I asked Dot if she had been affected by the invisibility factor which brought me to my current project, and she responded with a resounding YES! She talked about how college graduates start to work in her office with a sense of entitlement, not asking for experienced guidance or help from the more seasoned employees who have a lifetime of knowledge to share, 31 years of knowledge. She says they don’t seem to see her at times, like they are so focused on themselves and advancing, they look right through and past her. It’s frustrating she says, having so much knowledge to share and no one interested in absorbing it, “entitled” was the word she used.

Dot has a book she needs to write; I hope she finds the time to put her life on paper after she retires and starts her second/third career. Fearful of the unknown and prepared for the worst, we talked about how she was prepped before being bused; but when she arrived at McLendon Elementary School in the fall of 1969 she was welcomed and bonded with friends she would have for a lifetime, I am deeply honored and proud to be one of them. I am grateful I can call Dorothy Sanders Hambrick my friend. I love you, Dot