A 94-year-old woman has finally gotten her dream to wear the wedding dress that was denied to her back when she married in 1952.
Martha Mae Ophelia Moon Tucker, who was born in raised in Alabama, had dreamed of a bridal dress that had lace overlay and long sleeves. However, as a black woman in 1950s segregated Alabama, she was not allowed to shop in bridal stores.
Martha was instead married in a small wedding ceremony held at the house of her church pastor, she didn't get a dress.
Martha's family first realised she had lost out on her wedding dress dream in 1988 when they were watching the comedy movie 'Coming to America' starring Eddie Murphy. During the film Martha said to her granddaughter:
"I've always wanted to wear a wedding dress. I've been wanting to do that for a long time, ever since I got married."
Her granddaughter, Angela, remembering that conversation many years later, decided that it was time to make her grandmothers dreams come true. She organised a fitting at a bridal store and invited the family. Her granddaughter said later:
"She wasn't even thinking about buying a wedding dress because she knew she couldn't go in the store."
"I just wanted to do this for her, I wanted her to understand that a dream deferred didn't have to be a dream denied."
Martha said:
"I've always wanted a wedding dress, but I couldn't have one. I've always have been sad about it because I felt like I should have been able to wear it if I wanted to."
Strict segregation laws, sometimes known as Jim Crow laws, were in place in many southern states of the US up until the 1960s and the rise of the civil rights movement. These laws meant that black people were forced to attend different schools, shop in different stores and could be denied jobs based on their race. These laws were eventually overturned, but prejudice, racism, and discrimination remained a common occurrence in many parts of the south.
[Based on reporting by: Higher Perspective]
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