300 short stories:: story 236

story: “The Long-Distance Runner”

author: Grace Paley

year: 1974

where: The Louvre Abu Dhabi & home

note: In this story, Paley reverses traditional black-white female race relations. It is a great story to read in conversation with Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers’ non-fiction book They Were Here Property.

a line: “You in my house…. You do as I say. For two cents, I throw you out.”

theme(s): white flight; social justice; segregation;