[R-G] Some 'Rights History -- Real and Otherwise

[Hunter Gray]

NOTE BY HUNTER BEAR [AUGUST 8 2008]:

There really isn't a hell of a lot in the world to grin about these days, but something came in the [conventional] mail yesterday that -- despite the awful nature of its origin more than 45 years ago -- made Eldri and myself grin more than once.

Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, a Freedom Rider who thereby spent several weeks in Mississippi State Penitentiary, and who, as a subsequent Tougaloo College [a private Black school] student was involved in various Mississippi civil rights doings "back in the day," was also one of us three who are featured in the most famous Woolworth Sit-In photo taken in the several hours of mob scene at Jackson on May 28, 1963. In addition to Joan and myself, the other member of our embattled trio was Anne Moody, a Tougaloo student, who later wrote a well known book, Coming of Age in Mississippi. There were other sit-in participants including Lois Chaffee, who, like Joan, is a member of a couple of our lists -- as is Steve Rutledge who played a significant role in the Jackson Movement struggle. [Eldri and I got to Mississippi in latter summer 1961, right after the Rides.]

Joan has done yeoman service in sending Eldri and me very interesting packets of selected clippings on various topics of interest. A few days ago, a packet was accompanied by a fine CD, Classic Labor Songs, which I greatly appreciate.

And yesterday there was another packet. This contained a sheet of print from a publication, We Shall Overcome, by a Herb Boyd [who I don't know] and a sub-title, "Narrated by Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee" -- of whose work I have always much approved. Mr Davis and I corresponded cordially at a couple of points.

The section of interest is this:

"In May. 1963, three students at Tougaloo College, near Jackson, organized a sit-in at Woolworth's. What began as a non-violent protest became another violent encounter of the civil rights movement. "A huge mob gathered, with open police support and, while the three of us sat there for three hours, I was attacked with fists, brass knuckles, and the broken portions of glass sugar containers, and was burned with cigarettes," wrote John Salter in his memoir. Salter, who had talked [Medgar] Evers out of participating in the sit-in, was covered with as much blood as he was with salt, sugar, mustard, catsup and an assortment of other condiments. His associates, Joan Trumpauer and Anne Moody, were also covered by whatever the white mob could dispense from the lunch counter.

Dr. Martin Luther King arrived at the scene, hustled them into a car, and sped away. The shepherd of non-violence had come just as another round of assault was coming."

Joan, her sense of humor forever intact, had written in the margin, "Just thought you'd want to know who saved us!"

Well, first, the always very good Martin King was not there -- through no fault of his -- at that sanguinary event. Not there -- unless he was disguised as a hostile white teen or an equally hostile white cop. He did come to Jackson a little more than two weeks later -- at my direct, telephoned request to him on the heels of the murder of Medgar and I picked him up at the airport -- and some extremely exciting episodes followed all of that forthwith.

The first paragraph is accurate save for the fact that I was not, of course, a student but a teacher. But I was not too far removed from that status age-wise. From childhood on, I've always known I had lots of blood to spare and a tough head and hide. The sit-in ended only when the mob began to destroy the interior of the Woolworth store and its material contents -- and the cops cleared them away. A very reluctant contingent of Jackson police finally opened a path through the mob out front and we got to a friendly car, then to a Black physician, and then to a huge rally. I should add that I discouraged the always courageous Medgar from participating in the sit-in since he was a very "marked man" indeed -- obviously widely targeted for hate killing.

Anyway, the piece on Martin King and the dramatic getaway made us grin. Something out of a '50s flick.

I should add that my book, Jackson Mississippi, has been widely and accurately used by many researchers and writers.

Lots of links on our website on all of this but I'll only give two in case anyone wants to go further. And many, many thanks to you, Joan!

For a discussion of the major sit-in photo and background and ramifications of the whole Event, see this now well known webpage of ours: http://hunterbear.org/Woolworth%20Sitin%20Jackson.htm

And for additional discussion of the broader dimensions of the sit-in and a listing of all of our participants, see this Link [also given on that basic photo page]: http://hunterbear.org/jackson.htm

HUNTER GRAY [HUNTER BEAR/JOHN R SALTER JR] Mi'kmaq /St. Francis 
Abenaki/St. Regis Mohawk 
Protected by Na´shdo´i´ba´i´ 
and Ohkwari' 

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