Old letters: Estella to Mr. Freddie Cagle

This is the last in the series of letters I have involving meanie Freddie Cagle. This one takes place in 1969, 20 years later than when we first met him. Let's see what Estella has to say to Mr. Freddie.


[FROM: Estella, 958 - 105 Avenue, Oakland, CA TO: Mr. Freddie Cagle, Rosebud, Texas / October 16, 1969]

Dear Freddie, 

Whell how are things going for my boy? Man you ought to be out here in Oakland now. Man this set out here is too, too, mean.

Freddie, whitey doesn't have a chance with these Negroes out here. Man everywhere you look is Black Power and signs with United Blacks, and Black's where it's at, and they've got a mean gain out here called the Black Panther's and they all wear black leather jackets and ride mean ass motorcycles, and they don't allow whitey to walk the streets after dark.

And Freddie the Natural out here is out out out of sight. My husband has a natural that is long as mine and I'm getting a natural as soon as my permanent wears off. Freddie everything black out here from 8 to 80 wears the natural and some of them is to mean. My husband got some groovy ass cousins too, and I'm learing from them.

Man you got to dig these skip parties these guys out here don't mind it. They get too school and say man I'm having a skip party at my pad all day and man every body skips school and goes over to the duds house and stay until 3:15 and go on home. These cats are something else. Freddie hurry up and come on out here and dig this set. It's really out of sight.

Whell, Freddie old buddy I could go on the rest of the night writing you but when a married woman's got a husband that is dying for her to hurry to bed you know how that is so excuse me while I turn out my light and no peeping. (smile)

Estella

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How freaking cool is that! To have a letter from someone living in Oakland at the height of the Black Power movement and commenting on race relations and hair and gangs! Estella sounds like she's just moved there. Freddie was stationed in San Francisco in 1951, so maybe her husband is in the military. I wonder if she's from Rosebud and that's how she and Freddie know each other. I wonder how old she is too.

I googled her address, 958 105th Avenue, and she lived in a CUUUUTE little yellow house. I love it. I wonder what the property values are now and if she or any of her relatives still live there.