We went back and forth for awhile emailing. I kinda wanted to stay with what I had, which is the direct quote -- and, if truth be told -- about the mildest one I could find. They feel that the full word isn't appropriate in a book directed at middle graders.
So....I am back to something I went with in an earlier draft. All the colors and fonts reflect the back and forth of edits:
Across the South, newspapers, politicians, and preachers expressed their anger--how dare the president invite a Negro to put his legs under the same table where his wife sat? A paper in Memphis screamed, “The most damnable outrage which has ever been perpetrated by any citizen of the United States was committed yesterday by the President...."
What do you think?
