Sandra D. Rhoads 
My Red Velvet Purse 
A True Story

Sometimes people base their opinions of a whole race of people on the horrendous acts of some, on lack of knowledge or familiarity with a culture, or they go along with how their peers or relatives think and act for fear of being ostracized or fear of suffering repercussions. This is a true story of how a lost purse, prayer, faith, and an act of kindness from a stranger of another race changed the life of a young African-American girl in racially segregated Virginia in 1961.

About the author

Sandra Rhoads was born in Richmond, Virginia, and was later reared by her grandparents in Jetersville, Virginia where she attended grade school. Sandra was one of two African-American students who integrated the all-white Amelia High School in the summer of 1967. After graduating from Russell Grove High School in Amelia, Virginia, she attended Johnson C. Smith in Charlotte, North Carolina on an academic scholarship for two and a half years. She moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and graduated from Avila University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and Marketing. After 20 years as an educator, Sandra retired from the Shawnee Mission School District in 2014. She currently lives in Liberty, Missouri with her husband. She became a published children’s book author in 2021 with her first book, ‘A Bug Flew into My Ear!’. Sandra is an accomplished actress and playwright in her church and community. She is passionate about teaching and encouraging children to develop a love for reading and learning. The plaque on her desk reads, ‘If God brought you to it, He will lead you through it!’.