Be Proud, Stand Up, Fight!

     

Dr. Clarence Taylor

During the summer of 2011, I had the opportunity and honor of attending a Gilder Lehrman Teacher Seminar in New York City taught by Dr. Clarence Taylor.  The purpose of the seminar was to examine the origins of the Civil Rights Movement (CRM) and Black Power Movement (BPM) and their impact on American society.  Little did I know that this seminar would lead to meeting Civil Rights royalty!

The lectures, day trips, and personal excursions led to many thought-provoking conversations among members of our cohort.  Of course, the best and sometimes heated discussions took place as we enjoyed our time together eating meals, hanging out in Washington Square, riding the subway, and lounging in the dorms at NYU. 

One day as we were discussing the “classic narrative of Rosa Parks,” I exclaimed to my lunch companions, “This afternoon I am going to find and visit Claudette Colvin.” 

They asked, “Who is Claudette Colvin?” 

After a “brief” explanation, I got reactions ranging from, “You are crazy,” and “You are wasting your time” to “Can I go with?” and “I can help you get there.” 

So off we went (5 of us) to find Claudette Colvin.  After a hopeful 45 minute subway ride (where we discussed our “strategy” and rehearsed questions we would ask) and a 15 minute walk to Miss Colvin’s building, we anxiously stood in front of the security camera and buzzed what we believed was her apartment number.

“Is this her?” and “Will she talk to us?” were the nervous questions we asked each other.  Buzzing.  Buzzing.  “Hello, who is it?” asked a surprised and tired sounding voice.  Obviously, she wasn’t elated that 5 strangers had arrived at her building.

 Ashley and Sheila revealed the reason for our unexpected visit.  “Miss Colvin, we are a group of teachers from around the country in New York to study the Civil Rights Movement, and we would really like to talk to you about your experience.”

“Not today, maybe another day,” a reluctant voice responded.

     

I then explained, “Miss Colvin, this is our only opportunity.” I quickly repeated much of the history of Claudette Colvin, my travels and experiences in Montgomery, my wife’s family connection from nearby  Evergreen, and “what a dream this was just to be speaking with her.”  I don’t think she believed we were teachers legitimately hoping to talk with her. 

     

Then, shockingly she stated, “O.K. you can come up but only for 5 minutes.” 

     

The 11 story elevator ride was filled with exhilaration, trepidation, and the wonderful smells of ethnic cooking permeating throughout the elevator shaft.  We anxiously arrived at Miss Colvin’s door and knocked. She opened the locked door just a crack and quietly said, “Not today, today’s not a good day, I’ve been resting and my place is a mess.”  At this point we all began pleading, trying to convince her just to answer a few questions “for our students.” 

She was apprehensive and asked for a few minutes to brush her hair.  She reluctantly returned and invited us into her home.  The 5 minutes turned into an hour! We were entertained with Claudette’s wide ranging stories, memories, and photographs of growing up in Montgomery, the love she had for her father (family), her school days, her love of football, her tremendous anger and bewilderment about the Jim Crow south, racism within the African-American community, her move to New York City, her work in a Jewish Nursing Home, her friendships with all types of people, some of her favorite Hollywood movies,  and her grandson (a Washington University Medical School graduate working as a doctor in Chicago).  Miss Colvin even gave autographed copies of her book to several members of our group.  Toward the end of our visit, we asked her what advice she would like to share with our students from her experiences.  

She advised us to urge our students to be proud of who they are, stand up for what they believe, work hard in school, and take advantage of the opportunities provided today that she didn’t have.  She ended with guarded optimism that America would get better if we, “Continue to fight for Civil Rights.”