An act of courage that marked my life

In January 1969, my life was changed forever. The story of what unfolded at that time gives me energy and passion as Mission Houston has conversations about serving the public school systems in the greater Houston area.

I was raised in Lake Providence, Louisiana, and my father was the Superintendant of Schools when the Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of the school system to which he gave leadership. He worked diligently to follow the decree of the court, and on the first day after the Christmas break, integration became a reality. All 9-12 graders in East Carroll Parrish came to class at the formerly all white, Lake Providence High School.

Things were tense the first couple of days and on the third day violence broke out. A fight took place in the boy’s bath room and a kid was hurt pretty badly. The school was shut down and within hours the tension spread throughout the town. A house was burned and a woman, an African-American who served our community as a nurse, was burned to death. By the end of the week, James Edgar, a national civil rights leader was in our town and we made the national news – the only time I know of that my home town became famous.

The civil authorities brought things under control, and by the time the schools opened up again the following Monday, some key leaders in our community had taken all the necessary steps to form a private, whites only, school. When my dad became aware of that, he came home very troubled. He, my mom, and I had a conversation in the living room of our house that afternoon where they were more transparent and vulnerable with me than I had ever experience them. My dad told me what was happening, and he said, “I am under a lot of pressure to send you boys (me and my brother – my sister, Pam, was already in college) to the private school.

And then he said, “Jimmy (my childhood name), I’m in a hard spot. If I believe anything about the gospels – if I believe anything about what Jesus teaches me to be – I have no choice but to keep you in the public school.”

In that moment, I did not have a clear sense of all the national or local political dynamics that were swirling around my dad. I didn’t fully understand the power of prejudice and institutional racism. I only knew that in my heart I loved my Mom and Dad, and I was going to follow them no matter what they decided. And I did. That next week, my brother and I returned to the public schools. I graduated in a class of 127 students. I was the only white kid.

My parents courage in that moment marked me. It fundamentally changed the course of my life. I learned a lot going to an all black school. I did not learn what it means to be a minority in this country because in my community, white people were still the culture of power. But, I learned not to be so afraid. I learned that the way I see the world is just that – one way to see the world. That way is not The Truth – it is simply how, in my humanity as a white kid from the Deep South in the mid 60s, my view got shaped. I learned that religious institutions can stand on the side of injustice just as easily as they stand on the side of justice. And I learned that, as important as personal salvation is, if it doesn’t produce a mature people who are committed to justice, at best it’s producing generation after generation of still born converts.

I should say one more thing. From the world’s perspective my dad failed. The schools never became integrated – to this day the private school that was formed in 1969 still thrives in that little community. My dad took early retirement – worn out from the political and personal fall-out that came with taking a stand. But in the larger scheme of things, the sacrifices he and my mother made were like a drop of water in what became a mighty rushing river in our country. The school systems were transformed for many, many people of color and we are all reaping the benefits of the sacrifices of that movement today. In every generation, there is work to do. My parents did their part.

We – those who are connected to Mission Houston – are dreaming about the transformation of the public schools in the greater Houston area. Injustice still exists. Institutional racism is still present. Some kids, through no fault of their own, don’t have the opportunity that others take for granted.

The challenge to sacrifice for the common good stands before us – crying out for leadership. In the midst of that, we have a dream. For me that dream has some roots in my childhood that make this more than a good idea. It is something around which I have passion and conviction and history and hope.