The Train to Understanding In John Hope Franklin’s essay “The Train from Hate” presents a seven-year-old John’s journey with racism and understanding. The author informs the reader that his mother, sister, and himself are making a journey from Rentiesville to Checotah, Oklahoma, and in order to make this journey they are required to go by train. John, and his family, without noticing, entered a coach only reserved for white people. They are told by a conductor that they have to move to the “colored” coach and his mother explains to the conductor that they weren’t in control of where the coach stopped and that they had no choice but to get on quickly. She informs the conductor that she couldn’t risk her children’s safety by moving to the coach
