LETTERS: FAMBRO FAMILY BELIEVES KNOWLEDGE IS GOOD WAY TO DEVELOP

To the editor:

The Fambro family would, first of all, like to apologize to anyone who read the article printed in the paper Aug. 12 and was offended because they felt we were putting ourselves above others and were being materialistic. Our intentions when allowing the press into our home for an interview wasn't for this purpose.

We have found from personal experience that information can be added or deleted that can affect your whole message. A good example, materialistic things, politics, etc., weren't discussed in our interview. However, if the reporter had gone a little more in depth, yes, we have two cars, a 1983 Honda and a 1986 Toyota. Very impressive, huh? We do try to remember to thank God a number of times a day for each other and what we do have.

Yes, we definitely feel there is prejudice in Cape Girardeau. Yes, there are black and white people who are accepting and complacent of this as being the way it is and that as black people we should be thankful for how things are now and not rock the boat. For feeling this we don't apologize.

We also expressed the fact that we have met and continue to meet every day positive people right here in this area. These same people are contributing very positively to the community.

Knowledge is, we feel, a very powerful way to develop in all aspects. Reading is one sure way to achieve knowledge. We as a family want to contribute positively to not only our own race but to everyone. It is important for each individual to know about and feel good about themselves.

Yes, we do worry about raising our children here because of prejudice as well as the fact that there is a small percentage of our own race represented here. The black male is very important to our continued existence. We aren't, however, overly consumed with the fear. After all, we have resided in Cape Girardeau for over 10 years. We also realize that people will feel how they feel and think what they think. We have gotten both positive and negative responses from the article. We appreciate most of the responses and, believe it or not, know there are some individuals both black and white that understood our intent.

Rathael and Tonya Fambro

Cape Girardeau