My Godmother’s name was Catherine. Because she was my Godmother, I called her Nanny. Catherine had a fantastic way with people. She went out of her way to be kind to everyone she met, and once she met someone, she treated them as a friend unless they proved otherwise. Nanny didn’t judge people by their appearance. She believed it is a person's personality and actions that define them.
In the early 1950s, Nanny worked at F.W. Woolworth on Canal Street in New Orleans. Back then, most of the merchandise was kept behind sales counters. Customers had to be waited on by a salesperson if they wanted to try on shoes, slips, or dresses. At Woolworths there was a social scale among the staff, Many thought that they were too good to wait on black customers, poor white people, or anyone different.
One day a male "Drag Queen '' performer who worked at a nightclub on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter came in. When he asked to try on ladies' high heel shoes, the judgemental sales clerks turned up their noses, and refused to help him. Nanny was the only one who offered to wait on him. She helped him pick out shoes and then walked with him to the other ladies' departments to purchase makeup, undergarments, and dresses. The performer was thankful for her kindness and purchased several complete outfits. He left Woolworths feeling ecstatic.
The Drag Queen spread the word about his favorite sales clerk to his fellow performers. One thing about crossdressers, they spend lots of money on their wardrobes. Nanny soon had a steady stream of customers and was the store's highest performing sales clerk
Eventually, my Nanny was promoted to floor supervisor and was able to help my mother "Beanie" get an internship at Woolworth in 1962. I think of Nan often and try to follow her example whenever I meet someone different than myself.