Henry Louis Green was born to biracial parents, namely, the late Ida Green, a Black woman and the late William Glenn, a White man, on March 30, 1919, in South Boston, Virginia. From this union, were three children, (Henry, Mary and Bessie). Henry was the youngest.
William and Ida loved each other and wanted to marry, however, this was taboo. William’s family forbade the marriage and to ensure it didn’t happen, William’s family had him committed to a mental institution. Ida and William’s relationship ended, leaving her to raise their three children alone. Ida went on with her life, giving birth to five more children, Johnnie, Joseph, Thomas, Mildred and Ida Frances.
During the Depression, two of Henry’s young siblings died. As a single parent, the Depression made it more difficult for Ida to care for her family and work. Henry being the eldest son, had to grow up fast. Henry dropped out of school in the 4th grade to work and became the man of the house at the age of 13.
Having no time for fairy tales and nursery rhymes (as they couldn’t teach him anything about life), Henry chose biblical Scriptures as the foundation for understanding how he should live his life.