In response to Mr. Ed Field’s letters recently, I was born in Natchez.

I grew up in Natchez, motherless because my mother, Meletta Travis Carroll died at the young age of 19, a victim of the Rhythm Night Club fire, not the Rhythm juke joint fire.

My then 3-month-old brother and I were brought up by our maternal grandmother, who, until her death, when speaking of this tragedy never failed to refer to it as the Rhythm Night Club fire.

Now, 67 years later, you, who in my opinion must not only be a die-hard racist, but over the top stupid, or maybe just plain ignorant, have the nerve to even insinuate that these poor, innocent souls, including my mother, died simply because they chose to go to a night club, to dance and for a little while maybe forget some of the unimaginable hardships under which some of them were no doubt living in the 1930s, good ole boys South.

Where is your heart, Mr. Field? Where is your soul?

Erma Allene Carroll Lindsay

Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.