A Hug From Martin Luther King Jr.

The Struggle, At a Glance:

Brown v. Board of Education:
Supreme Court rules segregation unconstitutional.
brownvboard.org

Elnora Fondren:
Black student who chose to attend
all white school in segregated Clarksdale Mississippi.

Elnora Fondren Palmtag:
Formaly Elnora Fondren; Hippie; Wife; Comcast Employee, And Civil rights hero.

Clarksdale High School
clarksdale.com





In 1954, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, and unanimously agreed that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. The next year Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat at the front of the "colored section" of a bus to a white passenger. She was arrested, and the black community of Montgomery, Ala. launched a bus boycott. The boycott was led by Martin Luther King Jr., and lasted for more than a year; the net result being bus desegregation.

In 1957, nine black students are blocked from entering the formerly all white Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., on orders of the governor. President Eisenhower sends federal troops to intervene on behalf of the "Little Rock Nine." Then in 1962, James Meredith became the first black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. This time it was President Kennedy who had to send in federal troops.

In 1968, my wife, Elnora Fondren, was the first black student to graduate from all white Clarksdale high, in segregated Clarkdale Mississippi. She was tired of the secondhand books sent from the white schools, filled with profanity and missing pages. What else were they keeping from her? She was determined to find out, as the school could no longer legally keep her away. "I new school was the only way out of poverty. There were so many women in Mississippi with lots of kids, no husband, and no chance in life."

Her journey into the unknown started in 1965, after the Superior Court in Washington D.C. ordered schools such as Clarksdale to desegregate, and accept blacks. This was resisted, and she had to be escorted by two federal marshals to and from school.

In March of that same year, three Selma to Montgomery marches were planed. My wife wanted to march, but the federal marshals that took her to and from school wouldn't let her. After crying and screaming about it, the marshals somehow, were able to set up a meeting with Martin Luther King himself. At the meeting, after giving her a great big hug, he explained that what she was doing at school was very brave, and very important. He told her how proud of her he was, and sent her back home with the marshals. Martin Luther King knew that the marches would be very dangerous, and that this incredible brave little girl had no business being there.

On March 7, 1965, the first march began, and ended quickly, as they were attacked by state and local police with billy clubs and tear gas. The second march was on March 9, and didn't make it ether. The third march made it all the way to Montgomery. It was a 54 mile march, and took five days.

My wife went back to school, where most of her teachers could not stand her being there. Students would wait upstairs an lean out the window to spit on her. She would be called vile names, both in class, and in the hall.

As time went by, a few teachers and students began to tolerate her, as she seemed to be one of the smart ones.

After surviving her junior year, it started to get a little better. teachers were discovering that she had potential.

She recalls one teacher that stood out from the rest, and treated her as a person. He was her music teacher, who had 35 students, and printed sheet music. In contrast, her old music teacher in the all black school had 75 students and had to make and print her own music. So her new white teacher would allow her to take sheet music from the great musicals, and show them to the black music teacher at her old school. He got fired, and became a social worker.

My wife survived Clarksdale High School, and in fact, ended up graduating from this all white school with honors. A short time later, she caught a bus to San Francisco, and became a hippie.

Today, life is quite normal for Nora, my lovely wife. In fact, after what she went through, it's quite boring. My hero from the 60's now works for Comcast cable, and lets me go to school full time; bless her heart. She has almost 25 years in, and will be retiring soon. At that time, she will go back to school get and her teaching degree. She will also be writing a book about her time at Clarksdale High.

My wife is one of thousands of anonymous hero's and heroins who fought on the front lines of the civil rights movement, and changed this country. Her picture now hangs in a place of honor, at Clarksdale High. The same year my wife graduated, Martin Luther King Jr. would be shot dead.