Walking for Freedom, The Montgomery Boycott (continued)

WALKING FOR FREEDOM: THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT, continued

Getting Ready to Boycott - Chapter 3
Mrs. Robinson knew just what to do. As soon as she heard about Mrs. Parks, she called the Women's Political Council. She told them what had happened. They all agreed that this was the moment they had been waiting for. It wsa time to boycott the Montgomery buses. Mr. Nixon and other leaders liked the idea, too.

Mrs. Robinson got busy quickly. The very evening of the day Mrs. Parks was arrested, Mrs. Robinson went to her college. She wrote a leaflet telling people about the boycott.

"If we do not do something to stop these arrests, they will continue," she wrote. "We are asking every Negro to stay off the buses Monday in protest of the arrest and trial. Don't ride the buses to work, to town, school, or anywhere on Monday."

She stayed up all night making thousands of copies of the leaflet. The next morning, students helped her take the leaflets to black homes and businesses all over Montgomery. By Friday afternoon, December 2, many black people knew about the boycott.

Mr. Nixon was busy, too. He phoned the community leaders and the ministers or the black leaders. "We need to plan how we'll carry out the boycott," he told them. He asked them to meet at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church that evening.

Mr. Nixon also wanted to make sure that everybody knew about the boycott. He was even willing to risk letting whites know about it. So he called Joe Azbell editor of the Montgomery Advertiser. "I've got a big story for you and I want you to meet me," he said.

Mr. Azbell met him at the railroad station. Wearing a porter's jacket and black cap. Mr. Nixon showed the editor one of Mrs. Robinson's leaflets. We're gonna boycott these buses," he said.
"We're tired of them fooling with our women - they done if for the last time." Nixon's voice was angry and sharp. But he wasn't mad at Azbell. He was mad at the Montgomery law, the bus drivers, and the mayor.

"You're gonna put this on the front page?" he asked the editor.

"Yeah, I'm gonna try to," Mr. Azbell replied.

Pleased with his meeting, Mr. Nixon waved goodbye to Mr. Azbell. A front page news story would make sure everyone knew about the boycott. Then he got on a train headed for Atlanta, Georgia. He had to work that night and would not be able to go to the meeting at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

Meanhwhile, at the college, Mrs. Robinson got a note from her boss, Dr. renholm. He waterd to see her right away. When she entered his office, sha saw that he was angry. His lips were pressed tightly together, and his eyes were squinting. He looked at Mrs. Robinson. Then he help up one of the leaflets she'd written.

"What is this all about?" he asked shaply. "And what do you have to do with it?"

Mrs. Robinson was surprised and a little frightened. SHe stammered a little and explained what had happened to Mrs. Parks. :Other people have been arrested in the past. All they did was refuse to give up their seats to a white person," she said.

"Were there other seats?" Dr. Trenholm snapped. He knew that the law said that a black person had to give the seat to a white person only if there were no empty seat in the black section of the bus.

"No, there wasn't an empty seat," Mrs. Robinson said. Dr. Trenholm was still frowning. He walked back and forth looking down at the floor. But Mrs. Robinson could tell he was thinking carefully.

"Sit down and tell me about this," he said quickly.

Mrs. Robinson sat slowly. She was afraid Dr. Trenholm would fire her. After all, she had used the college's paper and copier. Whites would be angry if they found out. They might say the black college was stirring up trouble. Then the college would be in trouble!

But she also believed she had done the right thing. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Suddenly, she didn't care if she was fired or not.

She told Dr. Trenholm about the Women's Political Council and the work they were doing. "We would never do anything that would get the college in trouble," she assured him. "But somebody has to do somthing," she said boldly.

Finally she thought she'd said enough. She sighed and looked down at the floor. She wasn't sure what would happen next.

Dr. Trenholm was silent for a long time. Mrs. Robinson could tell that he was changing his mind. She looked at him sitting at his desk. His frown was gone. His face was not long and sad. He put his elbows on his desk and leaned forward. "Your group must continue to press for civil rights,"
he said. "But you have to be careful," he warned. He seemed tired. "You can't involve the college in this," he said, shaking his head.

Mrs. Robinson was relieved. As she turned to leave, Dr. Trenholm called her back. "You used college paper to run off these leaflets?" he asked.

Thzt's correct," she said. "The Women's Political Council owes the college for 17,500 sheets of paper. We will pay the bill immediately, sir." But the council didn't pay the bill. It had no money. Mrs. Robinson paid the bill with her own money.

That night more than fifty ministers and leaders met at the church on Dexter Avenue. Besides the ministers, there were also teachers, doctors, lawyers, businessmen, and postal workers. Mrs. Robinson was there too. Mr. Nixon had done a good job of getting everyone together.

The group made plans fo the boycott. They formed themselves into several committees. Each small group had a job to do.

One committee set up a carpool. People with private cars would pick up passengers and take them to work, school, shopping, or elsewhere. The committee decided where the passsengers should gather in order to be picked up. They also decided on which streets the cars would travel. That way, everybody would know where to get a ride.

Another committee got in touch with the black taxi drivers in Montgomery. The drivers agreed to take passengers for the same fare the passengers paid on the buses - ten cents.

Everyone agreed that there should be a big meeting Monday night after the day-long boycott. At that meeting they would decide whether or not to continue the boycott.

"We need to let everyone know about that meeting," one leader said. One of the inisters agreed to help write a new leaflet. He was dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a newcomer to Montgomery. At age 26, he was younger than most of the other leaders and ministers in the black community. Here's what Dr. King and his committee wrote:

Don't ride the bus to work, to town, to school, or any place Monday, December 5.

Another Negro woman has been arrested and put in jail because she refused to give up her bus seat.

Don't ride the buses to work, to town, to school, or anywhere on Monday. If you work, take a cab, or share a ride, or walk.

Come to a mass meeting, Monday at 7:00 P.M., at the Holt Street Baptist Church for further instruction.

Dr. King and another minister, Ralph Abernathy, worked until midnight. They made thousands of copies of the leaflet, just as Mrs. Robinson had done. The next morning, Dr. King and Mr. Abernathy walked door-to-door in the black community. They helped other men, womrn, and young people pass out the leaflets.

For two days, the boycott had been more or less a secret. Very few white people in Montgomery knew about it. But on Sunday morning, all that changed. A story on the front page of the Montgomery Advertiser told about the boycott. Mr. Azbell had written the story using Mr. Nixon's information. He'd also used information from Mrs. Ribinson's and Dr. King's leaflets.

Some whites were angry and upset. The chief of police went on television. He angrily spoke against the boycott. "Negro goon squads are scaring blacks from riding the buses," he falsely charged. "The police will help anyone who wants to ride the buses," he announced.

"I figure the niggers will just get right back into them buses like they always done," another white said. "They'll move right to them back seats like always." Like soem ohter whites, this person didn''t think black people would stand up for their rights.

Black churches were full of joyful singing, preaching and praying on Sunday morning. The ministers reminded church members to stay of the buses on Monday.

But some blacks were still not sure about the boycott. Some of them were afraid their white bosses would fire them. They knew theier bosses could find almost any reason to let them go. Causing trouble over segregation was as good a reason as any. Some blacks were also afraid that the boycott might lead to bloodshed and death. They afraid of what some whites might do when the boycott started.

Would enough people stay off the buses to make the boycott a success? As the sun set Sunday evening, no one knew for sure.

No Riders Today! - Chapter 4

Dr. King's wife, Coretta, looked out the window early Monday morning. What she saw did not make her happy. It was a gray, cold, cloudy day. It wasn't the kind of day that would make people want to walk to work or stand around waiting for cars. She wondered whether people really would stay off the buses on a day like this.

Soon, Mrs. King saw the headlights of one of the buses. As the bus drew closer, she could see inside. She saw the driver - and no one else. She looked again to make sure. Then she shouted to Dr. King, who was in the kitchen. "Martin, Martin, come quickly!"

Dr. King raced to the window. Mrs. King pointed to the bus. She was excited and proud. "Darling, it's empty!" she said, her voice full of joy.

Dr. King was amazed. He knew this bus was usually full of black people on their way to work. But today it rumbled slowly by, as empty as could be.

Dr. King was still not sure the boycott was working, however. He wondered whether all the b uses would be as empty. He and Mrs. King waited anxiously for the next bus.

Sure enough, 15 minutes later, another empty bus rolled by. And after that, another one, with just two whie people on it.

Dr. King wanted to see more. He got into his car and drove around Montgomery. He passed bus after bus for over and hour. During the whole time, he saw no more than eight black people riding the buses. He noticed that not many whites were riding the buses, either. Some of them had stayed off toe help the boycott.

Instead he saw black men, women, and children walking. He saw them riding black-owned cars and taxis. He even saw some people riding mules and some riding in buggies pulled by horses.

Some people walked as much as 12 miles to and from work or school. And they walked proudly. They knew why they were walking. They were walking for their rights - for their self-respect.

At some bus stops, children laughed and made faces as the buses rolled by. They joked about the "yellow monsters" and sang out, "No riderss today!" Some adults, too, pointed and laughed att eh empty buses. "Who will you kick now? they shouted to the buses.

Dr. King and teh other leaders were happy. The boycott was even more successful than they'd hoped it would be. Almost no one from the black community rode the buses. And almost no one from the black community shopped in the stores downtown. The buses and the businesses lost money. This showed the mayor that the black community wsa strong. It showed the city and the bus drivers that they could not get away with treating blacks unfairly.

But there was still work to do. Monday afternoon, the community leaders met. They began to make plans for the big meeting that night. First, they voted on a new name for their group. They called themselves the Montgomery Improvement Association, or MIA for short. Next, they elected Dr. King as the president of their group. Mr. Nixon was elected treasurer.

The new group decidd that black people should not ride the buses again until certain changes were made. They made a list of the changes they wanted.

1. Drivers must be polite to black riders.
2. Black riders can take any seat starting from the back and going forward. White riders can take any seat, starting from the front and going backward. Nobody has to get up to give another person a seat.
3. Black bus drivers should be hired for routes in teh black neighborhoods.

Five thousand people came to the Holt Street Baptist Church that night. People filled every corner of the church. Hundreds of people stood outside in teh cold weather. Some stood on boxes and peeked through the windows.

At first the crowd was quiet and curious. They had never been part of a boycott before. They didn't know what was going to happen at teh church. Many of them had never heard of Dr. King.

Soon, Dr. King began to speak. Loudspeakers carried his deep voice to the people outside the church. "We are here this evening - for serious business," he said slowly. A few people murmured "yes" as he paused before continuing. Dr. King could tell that most of the people in teh crowd were holding back. They were waiting for him to fill them with a feeling of pride, hope, and courage about the boycott.

As he spoke, his powerful voice rang out. "We are here" he said, because... we are American citizens." He reminded them of what had happened to Mrs. Parks. "Just because she refused to give up - to give up her seat to a white person."

Each time he paused, more and more people shouted "yes" and "Amen." They understood the unfairness of what had happened. They were angry, too. They agreed with Dr. King that Mrs. Parks was a brave and noble woman. "And just because she refused to get up, she was arrested," he repeated. THere were more shouts and a few people clapped.

After they quited down, he went on. His voice was even stronger now. His eyes blazed as he looked at teh crowd, and sweat began to show on his brow. "And you know, my friends, " he said, "There comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression."

The crowd exploded with a chorus of "yes." They were with him now. The strong voice and carefully chosen words of Dr. King had filled them with the pride of being citizens who had a right to be treated better. They listened and then answered his words with clapping and shouting. He asked them to work together and stand up for their rights.

When he finished, everyone clapped and shouted wildly. He had made an important speech that they would remember for a long time.

Finally, Mr. Abernathy asked everyone if they wanted to end the boycott. "No!" roared the crowd. One strong voice proudly shouted out what everyone was thinking. "This is just the beginning!" And everyone clapped and yelled in loud agreement.

Epilogue

Indeed, it was only the beginning. Whiite officials refused to change the bus segregation law. Bus drivers refused to be polite. Instead, the officials tried to force blacks to ride the buses again. The declared the boycott illegal. Black leaders, including Dr. King, Mrs. Robinson, and Mr. Nixon, were arrested.

Then a few whites became violent. They ruined Mrs. Robinson's new car by throwing acid on it. Theybombed the homed of Dr. King, Mr. Abernathy, and Mr. Nixon.

Some people walked even when they were offered rides. One grandmother shook her head and said "No thanks" when someone offered her a ride. "I'm walking for my children and my grandchildren," she said proudly. Black people stayed off the Montgomery buses.

From around the world, people sent money to help the Montgomery Improvement Association. The money helped pay the bail bonds for leaders who were arrested. That way the leaders did not have to stay in jail.

The money also helped pay someone to keep the cars and taxis on schedule just like the buses, planes, and trains. That way, people were able to get where they had to be on time.

Finally on November 13, 1956, the boycotters won a great victory. The Supreme Court agreed with three judges who had ruled that the Montgomery bus-segregation law was not legal. The ruling became official on December 20. It stated that black people must be allowed to sit anywhere they chose, front or back. Thirteen months after it began, the boycott was finally over.

Black citizens of Montgomery were relieved. They were glad that teh law was finally on their side. They were glad the boycott had worked. But there was no big celebration.

I don't recall that I felt anything great about it," said Mrs. Parks many years later. "It didn't feel like a victory, really," she said.

Many people remembered the bitter events of the past year. They had fought a long. hard battle, and now it was over. Perhaps they were sad that they had to fight it at all. Perhaps they knew that many more battles remained to be fought. They boycott had been the first big blos to segregation. But many more such blows were needed before segregation would be defeated. It was a good beginning, but it was just a beginning.

Early on December 21, Dr. King, Mr. and Mrs. Abernathy, E.D. Nixon, and a white man, Glen Smiley, got on a city bus.

As Dr. King paid his fare, the driver smiled. "I believe you are Reverend King, aren't you?" je asled/

"Yes, I am," Dr. King replied. smiling back.

"We are glad to have you this morning," said the driver.

"Thank you," said Dr. King, and he took a seat in the front of the bus.

Please stay tuned. It was reported on ABC 7 that Captain Vanessa Coleman's case has been taken up by the Government Accountability Project, a law firm that protects whistleblowers. This means that the Mount Pleasant Fire will be fully investigated for the first time! The second thing of note is that it's been reported that a number of the young people who were fired from teh academy for allegedly not satisfying the academic side of the test, who had complained about unfair treatment and harassment, have been reinstated. Those interested, please contact us and you will be furnished with more information. E.R.A.S.E. sees these two aforementioned happenings as a s uccess... and to those who attempted to spam this blog with McCain McCain McCain, the Spook says Obama! Obama! Obama!! Racism in the DC Fire Department will be a thing of the past. This election has proven that people of all colors can come together for change, and recism will be identified as a thing of the past.