“During the war, young Sillers Sr. and his mother hid in an abandoned plantation on the outskirts of town and foraged the woods for food. When the Federals took Vicksburg, Walter Sr.’s father was taken prisoner, executed, and buried in… — Adrienne Berard Copy Share Image
“The lawyers ceded their right to argue to case before the justices. A verdict would be rendered in secret, behind closed doors, with only the brief written by J. N. Flowers to serve as the defense for Martha Lum. J. K. Young would never stand in the courtroom. He would not be present for a decision that would determine the… — Adrienne Berard Copy Share
“Taft ended his opinion with an added clause, a statement so bold that it would rattle even his strongest supporters. The chief justice of the Supreme Court and former president of the United States gave individual states full constitutional power to segregate public schools and assign students to any race they saw fit: “The decision is within the discretion of… — Adrienne Berard Copy Share
“Arriving in the North, Martha became a migrant among immigrants, still a child, already twice removed from the ancestry she was taught to call… — Adrienne Berard Copy Share Image
“Richardson ran on a parallel course beside Adams Street, but despite their proximity, the two streets were worlds apart. Richardson, on its path west toward the school, was lined with humble vistas of shoe repair shops and hardware supply stores, but as the street arched slowly toward the river, the porches of regal mansions blossomed in perfect rows behind wrought… — Adrienne Berard Copy Share
“After the United States entered World War I, Southern landowners had a new means of ensuring their laborers remained on plantations—the threat of the draft. In the summer of 1918 the army’s provost marshal, General Enoch Crowder, issued a “Work or Fight” order to all local exemption boards, allowing them to draft men who were not engaged in employment. Crowder’s… — Adrienne Berard Copy Share
“For a period of twenty years, from the 1925 Gong Lum decision until the end of World War II, the majority of Delta Chinese received little formal schooling of any kind. Those families with younger children who could not travel hired private tutors. Such was the case with the Dongs, the Jees, and the Gees of Ruleville, the Gongs and… — Adrienne Berard Copy Share
“could. Jeu Gong was not so fortunate. He would have to find his bride in America. There was talk of a servant girl who lived in Gunnison. She cared for the Wong family’s two young sons and worked in their grocery. Her name was Katherine, an American name, a name that did not spend its childhood barefoot, bent over rows… — Adrienne Berard Copy Share
“Whenever Jeu Gong could get away from the store, he went to his small plot of land at the far end of Bruce Street, beside the train depot, in Rosedale. He cleared brush from the lot to lay the foundation, cutting back grasses and cane scrub that grew near the tracks. Over several years, gradually purchasing labor, mortar, and brick,… — Adrienne Berard Copy Share
“Flowers wanted to make it clear to the justices that he stood before them a strong defender of segregation. He came not to topple… — Adrienne Berard Copy Share Image
“The court’s ruling established a precedent more powerful than the Lum family could have imagined. By fighting, they only made the enemy stronger. Every… — Adrienne Berard Copy Share Image
“One of the chief ways to lure farmers from the hills to the banks of the Mississippi River, Walter Sillers Jr. and other Delta planters decided, was to build modern consolidated schools throughout the region. The beautiful brick buildings would impress poor yeoman farmers, whose children likely studied in one-room shacks, if they studied at all. After several county meetings,… — Adrienne Berard Copy Share
“Residents of Rosedale created a separate Chinese school in 1933. In 1937 a similar school was erected in nearby Cleveland. Due to limited enrollment,… — Adrienne Berard Copy Share Image
