Francesca Nesi

I was born, named and baptized Francesca Nesi in East Harlem but grew up in the north-east Bronx, the most under-rated borough. I remember those years as happy ones. I studied hard and all but worshipped my teachers. I was free to ride my bike anywhere in our hood or spend endless hours playing Monopoly with my beat friend Anita. During those halcyon days we were all Yankee fans but hidden from sight, a modest neighborhood in transition where Hispanics, Blacks, Jews, and Italians, all of us working class, content to share the same turf, for that moment in time.

I was destined for Evander Child High School but that changed when my mom died from colon cancer. A dear and loving aunt took in me and my two brothers. Overnight I was transported to Pelham Manor, a wealthy hamlet in Westchester County. It was only a few miles from our home in the Bronx but it was light years away in every other respect. I never quite fit in. I believe this IS HOW AND WHEN I BECAME THE "outsider" prone to radical thinking in its baby phase.

I was fortunate to have befriended two girls who, like myself, had to battle their way into acceptance. It was easier for them than me for one simple obvious reason. They were both beautiful and I was not.

TO BE CONTINUED.