Every November the Los Padrinos Club of the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Fillmore organized the BLACK & WHITE BALL. It may have been the biggest fundraiser of the year. Both my mother and father were involved in activities throughout the year but this one always had a buzz to it. Not that selling tamales after Sunday mass wasn’t important, it’s just that a chile-stained apron couldn’t raise the same level of anticipation and excitement that a rental tux or a new dress could.
In this picture my older brother , Charlie, may have been going to his first BLACK & WHITE BALL. The coming together of the formal event and an infrequent visit from my great-grandmother from Los Angeles inspired those present to snap a four-generation picture. Standing (L >R): Carlos Jesus Davis, son of Carmen Ramirez Davis, daughter of (sitting L>R) Pablo Ramirez, Sr., son of Felipa Rangel Ramirez. This photo may have been taken in 1960 or ’61.
