In loving, living memory, John Melançon 1928 – 2007
http://coanews.org/article/2008/what-dead-presidents-can-do
Excerpts:
Dead Presidents is the story of a black veteran who -- upon returning to The Bronx after volunteering for two tours in Vietnam -- robs an armored car with his fellow vets since he can't find a living wage job that'll allow him to support a family. The acting, the soundtrack -- everything about this motion picture is perfect, but after [a romantic interest] saw it for the first time with me, all [she] had to say was, "I don't think Anthony [the protagonist] tried hard enough to find a job."
In Philadelphia, Dad answered a job ad, he was probably about 16, he said.
There was another boy there, an African-American, a real go-getter. [Who looked like he really expected to get the job.]
Coming out of the interview where Dad got the job, it came to him that the other boy was not going to get the job.
It haunts me to this day. This very moment it haunts me.