Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival, and Hope in an American City

Dasani’s alert and physical nature resembles her grandmother Joanie, who was 47 when Dasani was born. Joanie was born in Cumberland Hospital, which was later transformed into Auburn Shelter. Joanie’s father, a skilled mechanic, came to Brooklyn when its Black population was surging, but he struggled to find work.

Joanie was one of nine siblings. When her father, Wesley Junior Sykes (“June”), drank at family gatherings, he spoke of his experiences in the only Black division to serve in Europe during WWII. His own father (Dasani’s great-great-grandfather), Wesley Sykes, served in World War I (WWI). Both men served during periods in which there was a lot of animosity toward Black service members. June grew up in North Carolina when lynchings were still common.

The Sykes family name comes from the man who enslaved Dasani’s ancestor, David. David lived through the Civil War and Reconstruction, and by 1870 was a free farmer with seven children, though he was later murdered under mysterious circumstances. June also farmed before enlisting in 1942. The military enforced segregationist Jim Crow policies among its ranks.

Black soldiers in WWII were referred to as “Buffalo soldiers,” a reference to Black soldiers who were sent west during American expansion.