OPINION: Letter to the editor

In talking about Black History and the Civil Rights Movement (of which I remembered), with one of my sons today, I mentioned how the church was the “core location” for the Civil Rights Movement along with Black preachers leading and organizing the protests, and thought about my own experience in Vicksburg, MS. 

I did some research and came across the article about the 1972 Vicksburg Boycott, written by Earnest McBride from 2022, and when it mentioned the meetings and the sound of the piano, I smiled because I was one of the pianists tickling the keys during those meetings as we moved from church to church and other locations. 

You see, Rev. Eddie McBride and Rev. Charles Chiplin knew me and my parents (Roy & Lucille Wells) and asked if I could lend my talent during those meetings. I was a 7th grader at Lucy C. Jefferson Jr. High (later East Vicksburg Jr. High) and played for several churches in the city at the time. I said to myself, “Wow, I really experienced my own Black history movement.” 

I remembered one Saturday I joined my brother and many others in protesting in front of the grocery store close to downtown, named Help Yourself. The manager/owner was quite upset because no one was coming into the store. He yelled, “Get from in front of my store you *expletives*.” the police were called, and we were carted off to jail. Because of my age, I was released to my mother, but my brother and many others were actually jailed until they were released. The following Monday, I was expelled from school because of my involvement but permitted to return the next day, even then I was proud, as a Black girl, for taking a stand, because I was aware of what was happening in my community and in America during those times.

I am sure there are many who remembered that movement and each have their own stories. As the article states, there were some Blacks who did not support the protests, and some moments of unrest, but overall, it was a peaceful movement that produced positive results, and I’m proud to have been a part of it. Thank you for the article.

–Shirley Wells-Hill, Memphis TN